Chronicles of Ice
by Technophobia678
Summary: Bobby Drake the 'Iceman' left the X-Men for soul searching. After a year, he's back and he and the other X-Men must work to accept all the changes in their lives. First fic, hope ya like.Be Kind!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I didn't do this at first and I'm not sure what happens if you don't put in a disclaimer, but better safe than sorry. I don't own X-Men Evolution or any of its associates. If I did, I'd have a lot more money.

Bobby Drake stared out at the passing traffic, his mind elsewhere. In the front seat a mid forty cabdriver was alternating between swearing at the 'hooligans' driving on the streets of Bayville to a lively discussion about rugby, appalled that, according to him, Americans were so limited that they couldn't appreciate rugby.

"I mean you young chaps just don't get it" he declared in a vaguely British accent. "American 'football' isn't even football. It's probably the closest thing you'd understand to rugby, but you call football 'soccer' for crying out loud! The ball isn't even _round_ in your _football._"

Bobby had long ago stopped pretending to be even the slightest bit interested in what his cabbie was saying, but this didn't deter the man. He chattered on while his fare just stared out the window.

_It hasn't changed _he thought. It unnerved him slightly. After being away, he had expected it to have changed somewhat. He had changed, as had his life, yet Bayville still looked the same with its mix of housing, business and open areas. There were areas around that did look a little battered since he had last seen them. If he had to guess, they had probably been where skirmishes between the X-Men and the Brotherhood had taken place.

Memories of those skirmishes made him smile wistfully. Life had seemed so carefree then. He had loved those days back when everything had been simple, when he had been happier. He'd been more...innocent.

The thought made his smile turn into a smirk. He was sure Logan would have something to say about his 'innocence'. The smirk grew as he recalled memorable pranks he'd pulled and had infuriated Logan. It was just as well the man was practically invulnerable, or Bobby and his pals would have probably sent him to an early grave long ago. Or more likely Scott, who had managed to look like he had a coronary that time when they had taken his car for a joyride and totalled it.

At the thought of his friends though, Bobby's smirk faded. He'd been gone for a year. It had never felt that long, but he had been through so much that time had flown by. Now he was coming back and he had no idea what kind of reception he would get. He had kept in touch with his mates, but they had undoubtedly gone through adventures, highs and lows when he'd been away. He'd gone through plenty of his own. But he still wrestled about whether it was a good idea to return.

_I left to regain control, _he thought, _and am coming back far, __**far**__ worse than when I left._

In hindsight nowadays, he wondered should he have stayed. His control was far worse; he had lost even more of the relationship between him and his father and he had lost ... a piece of himself. As clichéd and melodramatic as the phrase was, it was true.

_You'll never know, so stop wallowing, _he ordered himself sharply. _You made your damn choice, so stop thinking about it, or you'll go nuts. Or at least, even worse than what you are now anyway._

"We're here lad" the cabbie said cheerfully. Bobby started. Grabbing his single rucksack and tossing the fare to the man who waved and yelled to give rugby a chance, before speeding off. Bobby didn't notice.

He was standing outside the Xavier Institute Gates.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok, I think I'm getting the hang of this (famous last words). I have no idea if there's anyone interested in my story, but I'll plough on regardless. Hope people that read my story will be kind enough to review, should my will falter._

Bobby stared at the large, iron wrought gates. They stood imposing, denying entry for anyone not welcome. Or who weren't strong enough to simply get around them.

Beyond the gates was the long driveway that led to the large mansion. The building stood, surrounded by enormous trees and open areas, excellent for training and of course mutant baseball.

For a long minute, he just looked at the Institute. Feelings of anxiety, relief and confusion raged as memories assailed him. He felt strangely paralysed.

He abruptly became aware that the air around him was chilling rapidly in response to his emotions; a fine mist encircling his figure.

_Great, I probably look like a wannabe bad guy in a comic, _he thought, deliberately willing his powers to disperse. They faded and he breathed a sigh of relief. His powers were far more sensitive to his mood, even with help from inhibitors.

He reached over to the consol and hesitated. When he had lived here, he had only needed to press his hand against the palm scanner. But after a year, he wasn't sure he was still on the system. So he reached over and pressed the intercom.

A buzz came and a familiar voice answered. _"Xavier Institute. Can I help you?"_

Bobby forced his suddenly numb tongue to move. "Mr. McCoy?"

"_Bobby__ Drake?!" _Hank McCoy's voice said incredulously over the intercom.

"_Oh my stars and garters come in! Come!"_ With a rattle, the gates swung inward, permitting entrance. Bobby quickly entered the threshold, his mind reeling.

He went up the driveway, noting absently that there was no one outside. The Institute looked rather empty.

He had started up the stairs leading to the front door when it flew open. Hank McCoy, the 'Beast', stood before him. Tall, broad and blue furred, Beast was exactly the same, looking more like a monster in a fairytale than the incredibly intelligent and warm hearted man he was.

Fortunately, Bobby knew better. But he was still taken by surprise when Hank gave him a tight, one armed hug, lifting him off his feet.

"My favourite frigid friend, it's good to see you again" ruffling his hair.

"Good to see you too, Mr. McCoy" Bobby managed as he dangled a few feet from the ground.

Hank made an odd growl and pulled Bobby up to meet his eyes.

"It's Hank or Beast, Bobby, don't think that hasn't changed" he said, mock seriously.

"OK Hankster" Bobby grinned, using the old nickname he used in the past. Hank laughed, and then turned sober.

"I am very glad to see you Bobby and so will the rest I'm sure." He cocked his head at his captive. "Or are you planning to stay?"

Bobby found it difficult to look at Hank. "I don't know" he said at last. He bit his lip. What could he say? But he'd always confided in Hank, he'd understood him in the past.

"My powers were out of control when I left, Hank. There now much worse- with help" he grimaced. He hung his head, speaking to his dangling feet. "I was afraid of hurting somebody and now... it's more likely. I probably wouldn't even have come if I hadn't run into the Professor in New York."

"Not all things can be solved quickly, Bobby." Hank had grasped Bobby's chin pulling it upwards. "And not all can be solved without help. I can promise you that if you stay, we'll do our best to help you. And you won't be alone."

Bobby blinked hard. "I'll stay. For the moment." He didn't want to make a promise he might end up breaking.

"Humph, well that's the best I can probably hope for" Hank sighed, then grinned wickedly. "Though I doubt any of your old friends are going to see it the same way. Most likely they'll tie you up and keep you captive." He flashed his pointy canines. "And I don't think the staff and myself will stop them. I'm sure Logan will even help."

Bobby groaned in mock horror, and then he and Hank cracked up as Hank set him back on the ground. He rubbed his abdomen unconsciously.

Hank looked at his stomach curiously. "What are you wearing under that? Something metal?"

Bobby hesitated. As much as he was glad of Hanks presence, he wasn't ready to spill all of his secrets. Not yet.

"I'll show you later" he replied, picking up his bag. "Are we going in?"

"Ah yes" he answered, an odd look on his face. "But just to let you know" his evil grin had returned full force. "You and I are going to have a talk as soon as you're done with the Professor.

A little apprehensive at this, Bobby followed Hank.


	3. Chapter 3

_My God, this is really cool; I am actually using this website. I'm so happy! And really pathetic._

_Now in my opinion, Iceman never really got a proper role in Evolution, which pissed me off, 'cause otherwise, I liked the show. I have no idea if my story is any good, so if its not, or__ if you like it please tell me. Please?_

Bobby followed Hank into the main hallway. It struck Bobby again how quiet it was. There was no shouting, or explosions or swearing. It was weird how much the Institute didn't feel right without noise and bustle.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"The New Mutants of which you were apart are at school. The others and Logan went to investigate a strange reading Cerebro picked up this morning. I had wondered why Charles not sent myself, along with Ororo with them, but I believe I now understand his actions." He smiled at Bobby.

"Sorry my turning up had you miss an adventure" Bobby replied, only half kidding.

"Do not say such things. I am delighted to remain and reacquaint myself with an old friend. Old being relative, of course" he added.

"Of course" Bobby deadpanned. Hank chuckled and clapped an enormous hand on Bobby's shoulder, just as they reached the Professor's oak door.

Bobby hesitated, just as Hank poised to knock.

_Do come in, Bobby, Hank. _

Bobby blinked as the Professor's voice reverberated through his skull. He grimaced at Hank. "I always hated when he did that."

"Indeed" Hank rubbed his forehead before opening the door.

The Professor's office was exactly the same. It was a large oval office, with two sides of the room bearing huge filled bookcases, the third wall a large window showing the grounds. In the middle of the room, there was a large desk, with three comfy chairs facing the window and the occupants of the room.

Charles Xavier and Ororo Monroe, Professor X and Storm respectively, were behind the desk. The Professor, sitting obviously, was wearing his custom suit and tie, his shiny bald head glinting from the sun. Storm held herself with the same proud bearing; her white hair in striking contrast to her dark face,

wearing a long purple skirt and a white blouse.

Both smiled at Bobby when he entered and he fought the urge to duck his head in embarrassment. He smiled tentatively; fervently glad he could regulate his body's temperature. Otherwise his face would have turned the colour of a tomato.

The Professor chuckled. _Bobby calm down, none of us are going to pounce._

No amount of control over his powers stopped his blush then. He smiled sheepishly.

Storm glided over to Bobby and gave him another hug. "Welcome home Bobby."

The word home hit him hard then. Home. This was his home, more so than his parent's one in Long Island. His home was here.

Suddenly feeling happier, he returned the hug, before they broke away. He turned his attention to the Professor.

The elder man smiled warmly at Bobby. "Welcome home indeed Bobby. We are most glad you are back." He gestured at the seats. "Please sit down."

Bobby sat, as did Hank and Storm, after the Professor motioned for them to sit.

Xavier's eyes pierced Bobby's. He leaned his elbows on his wheelchair's arms as he studied the youth in front of him. Bobby resisted the urge to squirm under the intense gaze.

"You are healthy" he said at last. "A little underweight, but whole. At least physically. But perhaps not mentally. I sensed in New York and now, that your mind is weary with fatigue. You have endured much."

Bobby nodded silently. He felt calmer in the presence of Xavier, as well as Storm and Hank. They were people he trusted.

Xavier leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk, eyes intent on Bobby.

"I know you have every reason to hate recalling the last year of your life Bobby. But if you are willing to share it with us, I promise we will do what we can to help."

His words were similar to what Hank said earlier. Bobby sighed mentally. He owed it to these people to explain what happened to him, even if he didn't want to.

"You should get comfortable guys. It's a long story."

_So what ya'll think? Next chapter I am working on._


	4. Chapter 4

_He couldn't have stayed, no matter what anyone had said. His powers had gone haywire a few months after the whole thing with Apocalypse, he couldn't control them. In the summer, with all the pollen floating around, every time he'd sneezed, everything within 10 feet of him had been doused liberally in several feet of snow. When he went to sleep, he'__d wake up the next morning and the whole second floor would be covered in frost. He had once had a nightmare and had been woken up by a frantic Kitty and an irate Logan because an enormous glacier had formed and filled half the school. _

_As if that wasn't enough, he discovered he had a new power, to manipulate water, which liked to play with any liquid when he wasn't paying attention or got upset. His high school science teacher had been raving about the mutant 'disease' one day, providing much sniggering to the others in the class. He and Ray had been the only ones in the classroom who were mutants. It had taken all Berserker had not to send the guy out the window, but in the end it had been Bobby's power that ended the subject. The large water tanks filled with frogs, tropical fish and amphibious reptiles had upended when the guy had walked by, drenching him and covering him with slime the Toad would have been proud of. It had also flooded the classroom and there had been a mad dash to get out of the room before they got swept away._

_Kelly had been ready to lynch the pair of them when he saw the damage, but the Professor had intervened when it turned out the teacher was drunk and could have tripped into them. But Bobby had known the truth and had mentally confessed, adding that he hadn't intended to. The Professor understood, but he still had to wash the cars and jet for a week._

_And it kept at it. The room temperature would drop when he entered them, his core temperature would plummet when he was stressed and water, coffee and soda would levitate out of the cups and hover in mid air when he got distracted and would fall onto the drinkers laps, many of whom believed he was doing it on purpose. It got so bad he had to stop going to school for a few days because ice would morph and appear randomly all over his body._

_He was not the first mutant that lost control over his powers; there was the time Jean had destroyed half the mansion when hers had become too much to control, Rouge had lost control of hers when there had been too many voices in her head and Evan looked like a bony monster with his powers. Jean and Rouge's problems had been mental; the Professor helped them. Evan's was physical. But Bobby's had been elemental, affecting everything around him. Storm had tried to help, but all to often, they had to stop when his powers threatened the school and the area around them._

_The final thing that had caused Bobby to leave had been a fight with Evan. He and Evan had been a little tense around each other; when Evan left, Bobby had taken his place. Bobby was unsure how to act around him and Evan appeared to be trying to rebuild things as how they'd been before he had left._

_It might have not been so bad if Evan hadn't picked the time to talk to him after Bobby had gotten off the phone with his father. William Drake had lectured his son for over twenty minutes, going on about his grades, his choices of dates (oriental, Hispanic, his father didn't approve of anyone outside of 'real' Americans) and his opinions on mutants in general, ripping his son to shreds. Consequently Bobby was in a foul mood when he got off the phone and wasn't reciprocating when Evan started. Evan soon made a comment about Bobby having it so easy, that he didn't have 'real' problems such as himself and others in the school. He had family, school and friends. He was a nobody._

_The comment had made Bobby see red. After everything he was going through and his father's cutting remarks, he snapped. Before he even knew what had happened, his powers had exploded. The hallway froze over, water in the flower pots had exploded, and sending glass everywhere and Evan had gone flying through the air and crashed into the wall on the far side of the room._

_Pandemonium ensued. Bobby had run over when he saw what he'd done, yelling for help. Half the school had raced out to see what had happened. Bobby had been yanked to his feet by Logan, demanding an explanation. By the time he finished, Hank had pronounced Evan was fine, but had hit his head and needed to go to the infirmary. Bobby had been ordered by Logan and Scott to go to his room and wait there. He went, thoughts racing, guilt gripping his insides. He couldn't stay. What if he hurt someone else?_

_Mind made up, he grabbed a large rucksack and preceded to fill it with clothes, his wallet with his bank card, his laptop gear and underwear. He paused and going to his desk, created a small lump of ice, twisting it into a X shape. He then went to the window. Pausing, he thought and then sighed. He had to check on Evan. He ripped off the X ensemble on his uniform and thought. Then he went to his door and cautiously opened it. There was no one there. Swiftly, he went down the hall to Evan's room. He entered and went to his bedside table and left the symbol there. On the very unlikely chance he didn't know why it was there, he would know whose it was. The bright blue thread of the X was Iceman's colour._

_He could here far off voices and without further ado, he opened Evan's window and stood on the balcony. Creating an ice slide, he soared into the air, thinking of where to go. He couldn't just fly around on an ice slide; it was kind of noticeable and would lead the others right to him._

_Some instinct made him land beside the river. It flowed straight through Bayville and then through several states before flowing out to the ocean. Bobby, through his adrenaline high was strangely drawn to it. _

_On the riverbank, he approached the swift moving water. He paused and then put his foot into it. The current snatching at it released a strange feeling in Bobby. He closed his eyes..._

_And suddenly, he _was_ the water. He could feel himself and also his belongings, strangely enough, as the water rushing through the channel water molecules had cut through the earth in it's quest to join the vast oceans. _

_Bobby for a split second, fought the feeling, his mind screaming in confusion. But then instinct took over his overwhelmed senses and he began to sense a destination, a place to go. The water making up him and his belongings stayed together as they sought their destination. He could not comprehend, or put the feelings into words, but they were so strong he followed them along the course of the water._

_After what felt like minutes, his particles quivered. Gradually, he could feel his body and bag return to their proper shapes once again. The last thing he felt before opening his eyes was a profound peace, as though all was right with the world._

_When he opened his eyes sunlight streamed into them. He winced and blinked rapidly, staggering to his feet._

_Snow. Snow and ice. For a split second he thought his powers had done it, until he noticed there were no buildings or people around. He looked to his left and blinked. Staring at him a large white polar bear._

_Bobby knew where he was. He was at the North Pole. _


	5. Chapter 5

Oh my God, someone actually reviewed, I'm so happy! And terrified of screwing up my story. (Giggles hysterically). On with the story! This chapter is going to be based on stuff I looked up on Wikipedia and my own fevered imagination, such as it is.

_Bobby had spent three months at the North Pole. After the initial shock of figuring out where he was; he had quickly realised this was the perfect place for him. It was remote, he was immune to the cold and he could practise his powers for longer and greater periods in this icy domain. Plus, what better way to prove mutants were not threats to humanity by __keeping the North Pole intact from global warming?_

Guess I actually did learn something from geography class.

_He had been siphoning off the water from his clothes and bag, which were soaking from the trip and wondering about how he had done it when the Professor had contacted him. Concerned and bewildered, he was thoroughly taken aback when he divined Bobby's location. Bobby had hurriedly assured him he was fine and spent the next few minutes pleading with him not to send the others after him, whilst keeping an eye on the bear which was still hanging around. He presented all his arguments for staying here as well as the fear he felt of hurting someone with the state his powers were in. His insides still hurt from what his powers had done to Evan, even though the Professor had assured him he was fine. This made him feel a little better, but more determined to stay away. The Professor reluctantly conceded the argument but warned he would have to keep in touch at least once a week. Bobby promised__._

_With the bear mercifully wandering away, he constructed a small igloo out of cartoons, keeping an eye out. The Arctic did have nutters who explored the ice and he did not fancy his chances of explaining why a teenager with no adults or proper gear was now camping out here._

_It took surprisingly little to fall into routine. The area where he'd appeared was close to the Canadian border, where he went to get money from an ATM and buy food, which he was grateful for; he'd never been any good at fishing. He'd form an ice slide and go to the bolder region, where he stayed to hide away from explorers and scientists. He quickly found he could destroy his slides as easily as forming them by simply focusing on the water molecules to break up either as water or chunks of ice. He reflected that Scott would have been happy to learn he actually _could _clean up his messes and evilly decided never to tell him._

_Out around the bolder field, he practised his powers. At first, the results were the same; uncontrollable and explosive. He persevered; reflecting that the Arctic needed the ice anyway and noticed something. By not holding on to the power, letting it go instead of bottling it up, it became easier to control. Not immediately, or quickly, but gradually. It shouldn't have surprised him really; it actually made some sort of sense. He had been afraid to let go of his powers fully at the Institute; afraid of causing an avalanche, but out here it was natural and rather calming. __He'd form massive chunks of ice, then try and turn it into water and then steam and back again. He found himself enjoying it and would sometimes let his powers strengthen and spread the ice as far as he could._

_He did keep in touch with the Institute, with his laptop. He had been pleased to discover he'd packed the solar charger Mr. McCoy had made for all the students in a bout of environmental mania. He had never actually used the device, but had kept it to stop Beast lecturing him on the importance of the protection of the environment. And in the Arctic during the summer with 24 hours of sunshine meant the charger was put to good use, even if Bobby had to take steps to keep the laptop dry._

_His regular correspondents had been most of the New Mutants, who alternated commiserating his departure and various threats if he did not return. Tabitha aka Boom Boom had threatened to blow up a certain part of his anatomy if he did not come back or if he repeated the stunt. She also complained that his departure had left a gap in the prankster department; she and Kurt were having trouble in the area, though arrival of Alex Summers, Scott's younger brother had livened things up slightly._

_It was heartening to know they cared enough to write and talk to him, though he'd never actually say it to them. He'd also gotten mail from Jean, Rouge, Kitty and Kurt, all of whom had understood why he'd left. He'd even gotten one from Kitty who had sent it per Logan's instructions, saying he would skewer him and make him train for a month with him nonstop if he took off again. He had replied that he had spent too much time around Logan and had picked up the trait of just going off whenever he felt like it from him. The response had been the word 'snickt' followed by 'he's definitely going to kill you.'_

_He'd also kept in touch with Hank, who rather than berate him for going off, had made him focus on his school work. He'd talked to the school and had managed to convince them to let him sit his SATs. Though not even seventeen, Hank had argued his grades were high enough to let him take the test online, adding that an 'accident' prevented him from attending school. _

_It was true that Bobby's test results were satisfactory to sit the test, but he largely suspected the reason Kelly allowed it was it meant another mutant freak would leave Bayville High. So he had sat the test online, perched on an ice bolder. And he had done well enough to apply for college when he turned seventeen._

_Life had been surprisingly good out in the Arctic. He had had no contact other than polar bears and arctic foxes, but his powers had become easier to manage and the link to the outside world meant he had kept his sanity. He'd felt almost ready to come back to the Institute again, despite the embarrassment he would feel._

_But naturally something had come up to shatter it. Namely, a Norse deity to be precise. _

_Bobby was unaware of this at the time, but it had the same result. He'd been out, trying to figure out how to do what he'd dubbed his 'water teleporting trick' when a large swirling light appeared a few feet away from him. The light soon disappeared, leaving an average, well built man with an impressive sword behind. He looked around and spotted Bobby, who had foolishly been gaping at the sight at this point, before sense prevailed. He backed away, going into the battle crouch Logan had taught him. The man looked at him appraisingly, and then asked if he was the Iceman. Bobby said nothing, stepping away. This was apparently all the man needed, for he started toward him. Bobby hurled an ice beam at him and leapt onto an ice slide, intending to run. But before he'd even got into the air, the man threw something at him and the world disappeared._

_He didn't remember much after that. He remembered being in a lab like room, with the man rambling softly and incomprehensively nearby. He recalled an unpleasant sensation of metal surrounding him. Then pain, overwhelming pain, denying him thought or reason and sending him into the darkness again._

_When he woke up again, he was in a brightly lit room, in a pleasantly comfy bed. It had been quite a while since he'd been a bed. Then memories assailed him and he panicked. He leapt out of the bed and nearly fell over as his legs buckled. Ice stalagmites formed thick and fast and impressively going through the ceiling, whilst ice and snow emanated from his body like heat. Bobby also felt for the first time since he had manifested his powers...cold. Cold to the bone. He shook so much that his weary legs simply gave out on him and he huddled on the floor._

_He heard noise, but it was far away, distant. All he was aware of was the racking of his body as it strove to warm up. Then he felt something prick his arm and he passed out._

Ok what do you think? I'm not sure it's great, but it's the best I could come up with. Not very angsty I know, but I plan on having the next chapter more depressing, I hope. (Gulps then grins).

The man and like are my interpretations of Loki and him messing with Iceman's powers in the comics. I have no idea if it's accurate; I haven't read the comics (horror) and the stuff on Wikipedia is not very specific. (Scowls)

Anyway, if you like or plan to lynch me, please let me know while I write the next chapter and my last will and testament. Hahaha.


	6. Chapter 6

_When he woke up again, he was in a similar room, only this time there were people in it, none of them was the man he'd seen on the Arctic. _

_Bewildered and afraid, he began to struggle, his core temperature dropping rapidly, before a loud commanding voice got his attention. The man in question was tall, blonde and lean with muscle. Beside him was a shorter and less muscled bespectacled man in an odd suit over which was a lab coat._

_The blonde identified himself as Thor, pulling out a large hammer before putting it back on his belt. He also introduced the other man as the Ironman, both members of the Avengers. Bobby recognised them then. The Avengers were a relatively new superhero group stationed in New York. But what was he doing in New York?_

_In short, concise sentences Thor explained what had happened. He had been kidnapped by his half brother Loki, in order to gain control of a race called the Frost Giants, a race which Loki was related to. He had attached Bobby to a power enhancing machine and increased Bobby's power dramatically in order to do this. Thor had defeated him and brought Bobby back to New York._

_To Bobby, this sounded like a bad comic story. Another dimension? A Race called the Frost Giants? A power enhancer? Bobby wanted desperately to wake up and find out this was a nightmare._

_The Ironman had now taken over in the telling of the story. Bobby's powers were now so powerful that they had frozen over the building completely while unconscious and had frozen the block outside when he had briefly woken up. He was concerned Bobby could not control this enormous increase in power without killing himself and half of America in a few seconds. He had been examining the power increase and the machine that had done it and believed while he could not reverse the change, he could help Bobby control it. He had been working around the clock for the four weeks since Bobby had arrived (Bobby had felt stunned about how long they'd been keeping him unconscious) and believed he had a breakthrough. _

_It was then Bobby noticed he was wearing a very bulky and heavy belt like thing around his waist, the only thing he was wearing on his upper body. The contraption was strangely constricting and felt vaguely wrong. He had instinctively tugged at it, before being swatted away. It was, the Ironman had said, the only thing stopping his powers from freezing everything within a mile of him instantly and beyond. _

_Bobby quickly learned that while the belt kept the greater power dampened, it was clear his abilities were far stronger then when he had been in the Arctic. It seemed all of the training he had done in the Arctic was not as helpful with the increase then with his original powers. He could control them with the belt...just. _

_He experienced what his powers were like without the belt on the top of the Empire State Building. The Ironman had chosen the building specifically to demonstrate the full effect of his powers undampened. Bobby had for an instant, taken off the belt, and iced up. The result was immediate and after five seconds the Ironman put it back in place. Not only had Bobby iced up, he had also iced up the entirety of one of the largest buildings in the world. The air around him had plummeted to minus 110 F and his core temperature even lower. For the first time Bobby was truly aware of what had happened to him._

_The experiences of the last few months were enough to make him crave some normalcy. He applied to a college and got a place, his temporary weakness from being unconscious for a month helping the cover story Hank had provided, saying he was in an accident. He started a degree in accounting. He was best at maths and an accounting degree would help him if he decided not to return to life as a teenage superhero._

_The thought of the X-Men would make him wrestle with his decisions; whether or not tell them what had happened, say where he was and let them know he was still alive. Eventually, he fired off an email from a local cafe, letting them know he was out of the Arctic, had been busy for the last month and was doing a college course but would not returning for awhile. His gear was still in the Arctic as far as he knew, though fortunately, he still had his wallet and bank card filled with money his grandparents had left him. He soon bought a new laptop, schoolbooks and had rented a cheap apartment. It was small and cold, which of course didn't bother him, but he had it to himself. Knowing he'd be flat broke if he kept this up, he also worked part time in a local pizza joint. It was small, lively and he got decent pay for a college student._

_He threw himself into his new life. New York was a blunt assault on his senses after the peace in the Arctic, but it felt normal and safe. His powers were of course, harder to control and he wore the belt underneath his clothes so not to draw attention to it. His apartment was a basement and it meant he could freeze it solid and then de-ice it when he felt stressed. Ironman had warned him to practise on gaining control over his powers instead of forever relying on the belt. Bobby agreed. He hated the belt, it made him feel trapped and brought half remembered memories of the pain and fear he'd felt. _

_One of the nights when he had been walking back from his job, he'd heard a muffled scream from an alley. He quickly saw a struggling woman being held down by about three men. Without even thinking, he launched forward and kicked the nearest guy in the knee, breaking the joint. The man fell with a scream, while the other two spun to the threat. One came at him with a knife, which he disarmed easily, breaking his wrist as he did so and then kicked the other in the midriff before slamming him into a wall. The rattled woman took flight after stammering her thanks, leaving Bobby to call the police about the muggers, huddled in agonised curls on a payphone._

_The fight had rekindled what Logan had always called 'the heroes complex'. Not matter what you did or tried, you always inevitably got pulled back into the fight, because you couldn't live with yourself if you didn't._

_It had more meaning than he had realised at the time. From then on, when he heard sirens when he was outside, or screams in alleys (it was New York, there was plenty); he'd go and see if he could help. Fires were his speciality; he could put them out with relative ease from a distance. He preferred to stick to the shadows as much as possible when the police or many civilians where around._

_New York had quite a number of costumed wacko's running around in tights, threatening destruction with gadgets and powers. It was extraordinary how unimpressed people, who hadn't been around at the time of the chaos, were about the madmen. Newspapers occasionally made them the headliners when there was extensive damage, and then it would be forgotten by the end of the day._

_It was on one such occasion he encountered Spiderman. A green freak on a flying skateboard had been cackling madly around Times Square where Bobby had been at the time. Icing up he had battled the loon, and had more or less cleaned his clock, when the masked vigilante had appeared to lend a hand. Or rather some very sticky web stuff that pinned the freak to the ground, awaiting the heroes of law enforcement of New York to nab him. The two had recognised each other from the television and both went to a skyscraper and shared stories, while keeping an eye out for more mischief makers. They'd parted ways, Bobby promising to give the man a hand if he needed it. They had surprisingly a lot in common; both were young and had seen and been through more than any teen should rightfully have to. Neither though gave each other their real names, preferring anonymity._

_Spiderman was not the only superhero he had encountered in New York. He occasionally saw Thor flying around, but did not attempt to talk to him. He did however greet Angel, Warren Worthington whom he had spotted once flying to save a family from drowning in their car when it had gone off a bridge. Bobby had gone over to help and once the family had been freed, Angel had invited Bobby to spend time at his place to share stories and adventures. He had also plied Bobby with alcohol, so not only did Bobby spill his adventures since they had last seen each other, but had woken up in Angels guestroom the next morning with an incredible hangover. It was enough to make him swear off alcohol, at least in excess. _

_It had also made his vision whack out, turning everything in shades of the rainbow, some purples greens and others like the kettle Angel had put on blindingly white making his headache worse. When he described it to Angel, he thought it sounded like thermal images. Bobby had to agree when he looked properly at Warren and it looked to him like he'd been attacked by day glow paint. _

_This would randomly occur during the day, which presented a problem when he got headaches from looking in the pizza ovens when it popped up. Gradually, he felt a trigger when it happened and could finally turn it on and off when he wanted. Though what he was going to do with thermal vision in New York made him rarely use it when he got the hang of it._

_But another of his power manifest was a little more useful. Since Loki, he had felt cold for the first time properly since before he had first gotten his powers. Trying to figure this out one day he had sat in his apartment and let his body temperature drop. It plummeted and he had been thinking of stopping when he realised his body was turning into ice. Actual ice. He had looked in a mirror and was shocked to find he could see through his body and to the door behind him. This was different to ice armour. He _was_ ice. _

_Worried he might not be able to change back he reverted to his human form. Shaken, he had decided to worry about it later. But from then on, he was no longer cold when he wore the belt._

_Deciding to try this power out in fights, he was surprised at how his strength and speed had increased in this form. Once, when he hadn't been paying attention, he had gotten shot by an oblivious junkie in the dark. Crumpling to the ground, his body had instantly turned into ice and the pain he had only started to feel, faded. He could still feel the bullet and like a gag reflex, the ice pushed it out of the entry wound and closed over. He hesitantly reverted back and there was not a mark nor blood or pain anywhere. The bullet sat twinkling on the ground beside him, shiny with blood and ice fragments._

_Overwhelmed, he had run back to his apartment and had fallen onto his bed, his numb brain too overwrought to think. He had lain there for hours, too tired to move, too edgy to sleep, when a knock on the door had roused him. Staggering like a drunk, he'd opened it and froze. Outside his apartment door was Professor Xavier._

_The Professor looked at Bobby with intent eyes. And in a calm gentle tone, he said it was time to come home. _

_And Bobby in his tired and sluggish thoughts, could not find any reason to disagree._

A/N: Ok what do you think? I'm not sure but I wanted to finish up with the flashback, after three chapters I've had enough of it and wanted it finished. My deep thanks to Abbs of the Faeries, whose reviews are greatly appreciated. I intend to use your advice on my other chapters just as soon as I figure out how. I hope you still find the story enjoyable and worth reading.


	7. Chapter 7

Bobby sat, feeling the intense gazes of his mentors on him. He fidgeted slightly. Though it had been somewhat of a relief letting all of his burdens go, it was somewhat embarrassing to have shared his soul so openly. He felt very exposed and self conscious.

Hank blew out a long breath and ran his hands through his shaggy mane. "That was a lot to go through with on your own Bobby."

"Quite" Storm agreed softly, reaching out and wrapping an arm around him protectively.

Reluctantly, Bobby lifted his head and looked at the Professor. His face was inscrutable but his eyes reflected deep sadness.

"I am deeply sorry Bobby."

Bobby frowned. "I'm the one that left. I _chose_ to leave. Besides no-one could have predicted I'd happen to get experimented on by a nutty deity."

"Indeed." He sighed and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Such things are completely unprecedented, but of course they would have to happen to you, yes?"

Bobby grinned in spite of himself. The Professor chuckled and then cut off, expression distracted, distant.

"Charles?" Storm enquired, exchanging a look with Hank.

The Professor did not reply; he looked far away. Bobby looked from him to Hank and Storm, feeling uncertain.

Then the Professor blinked and took a deep breath, looking shaken. He looked at the occupants of the room, who were staring at him.

"That was Jean. The others have run into difficulty. The Brotherhood and" he took a deep breath "the Juggernaut."

"The Juggernaut?!" Hank exclaimed. Bobby was taken aback too; he had fought the Juggernaut on his first mission with the X-Men when they had been fugitives and was surprised to hear he was around again. But he'd slipped past the X-Men when they had beat him and they'd never found him.

"That's not all." The Professor looked frustrated. "I felt something when Jean and I were communicating, but I can't tell exactly what. It's strong, but very elusive. Whatever it is, it the Brotherhood and the Juggernaut may be too much for the others to handle alone."

"Charles, I think it would be best if we went" Hank said, rising to his feet. "Someone need's to watch the newer students in case this is a trap. The others will be out of school soon and they could defend the school if they have to."

Xavier nodded. "I will call the students and tell them to come home immediately from school today."

"What about me?" Bobby spoke up, rising to his feet.

The Professor looked at him. "I don't know..."

"Professor, if there is something stronger than the Juggernaut out there, the others might need my help. My powers can be a pain, but they're great in a fight. Especially as the Brotherhood don't know how strong they are now."

Xavier looked at him and inclined his head, accepting his argument. "Follow Hank or Ororo's lead."

"Wasn't planning on not taking orders. I can listen when I want to" he replied with a grin.

Hank rolled his eyes good naturedly and clapped his shoulder. "Let's go, my very amusing friend. We have a jet to catch."

Two minutes later, they had rejoined each other outside the jet hanger all wearing their uniforms. Bobby had been very surprised to find that not only was his old room still his, but the uniforms still fit. He had grown a few inches since he had last donned it and had lost whatever weight he had a year ago, yet the spandex hugged his frame and the belt rather snugly.

Also to his surprise, a young girl, in a black uniform and green tee-shirt, with loose brown hair was with Hank and Storm. She stared at Bobby with intense eyes.

"Well we should be off." Hank glanced at Bobby and the girl and his eyes widened. "Oh I don't think you have been properly introduced to Laura, Bobby. You knew her as X-23?"

Bobby looked at Laura more closely at that. Sure enough, he recognised her. She had once infiltrated the mansion, knocking him out as she did so.

"Right, the girl who knocked me out." He grinned at Laura to let her know he didn't hold that against her and stuck out his hand. "Bobby."

Laura stepped forward somewhat warily and shook his hand very quickly. "Laura." She turned to Hank. "Are we going?"

"Yes, let us be off my friends" Hank bounded across the hanger, the others after him. Bobby was surprised to see a smaller version of the X-Jet, which did not appear to be there.

"With so many of us, Charles thought it wise to invest in another method of air transport" Hank explained as he powered up the engines. "It has been affectionately dubbed the 'mini X-Jet' and has had its share of student joyrides in the weeks after its purchase."

Bobby laughed at that. Storm co-piloted and was sitting beside Hank. He and Laura sat behind them in two of the four remaining seats. He glanced at her and was fascinated by her facial expression. It reminded him of a polar bear he had once watched as it stalked a seal. Its face and body had been completely still, yet power and strength had radiated from it. X-23 had that expression, of an unstoppable hunter of incredible power.

Her eyes flicked to him and he smiled, before looking away. He didn't want to turn that power on himself.

The mini jet's engines roared and with a surge, shot out of the hanger doors and into the sky.


	8. Chapter 8

The journey was mostly silent, except for the occasional murmur between Hank and Ororo. Bobby contented himself with looking out of the window, his attempts at engaging X-23- no Laura- in conversation having failed.

"Where are the others?" Laura asked.

"An area in the Rockies" Hank replied, his eyes on the instrumentation. "Cerebro picked up something unusual this morning. On maps, there does not appear to be anything around the sight, but not all things are on maps."

A beeping from the computer drew his attention. "We are here" Hank announced. A screen came to life in the middle of the dials and an impressive fire ball was captured flying across the screen. Various explosions scattered the ground.

"Oh my stars" Hank glanced at Storm. "I think our friends could use some help."

Upon this, Storm eyes glowed white and the clouds that had been drifting around condensed and strengthened. Thunder boomed, lightning flashed and rain began to fall, announcing the arrival of the reinforcements.

With a screech of exhaust, the jet banked sharply and landed on a stretch of smooth plateau. Laura was out of her seat before the jet even landed, standing at the jet door. When the plane touched down, she leapt out, towards the chaos.

Hank Bobby and Storm were not too far behind. Storm leapt out of the jet and soared into the air, but Bobby hung back slightly. He caught Hank's eye. "I'm going to stick to the shadows for a minute. They don't know I'm here and I'm going to see if I can catch them by surprise."

"Be careful" Hank cautioned before leaping apelike out the jet. Bobby waited for ten seconds, before slipping out and hunkering under one of the jets landing gears for a moment.

The fight was raging fiercely, on the ground and the air. Of the Brotherhood, he saw Wanda, the Blob, Pyro and though not a Brotherhood member, the Juggernaut. It was clear he was causing the most chaos; hurling boulders and charging at members of the X-Men. The X- Men he could see were Scott, Logan, Jean, Kitty, Kurt and Rouge, as well as Beast, X-23 and Storm. Kitty and Rouge looked like they had been taking the brunt of the attack; both looked exhausted, Kurt not looking much better. Wanda and Pyro had been keeping them busy trying to dodge them. Coupled with that and trying to take down the Juggernaut had taken its toll. After all, they posed the biggest threat in removing the guy's helmet, so Jean could use her telepathy on him. She, Scott and Logan were also suffering from the tactics, but were trying to occupy the Juggernaut, with help from an eager Laura. Hank was tackling Blob, while Storm hurled lightning bolts at an indifferent Juggernaut.

The arrival of more X-Men had prompted the arrival, seemingly out of nowhere, Avalanche and Quicksilver, Lance Alvers and Pietro. Avalanche stomped the ground, making it difficult to stand, while Quicksilver had generated a tornado. They seemed to have the upper hand.

Bobby smiled. Time to see if he could even the odds.

He slammed his own foot to the ground. Frost shot outwards in all directions. The result was that Quicksilver completely lost his footing and went into an uncontrolled spin, ending in him crashing-at speed- into the Blob, who staggered back a step and fell over on his ass. The fight momentarily froze.

Bobby exploded into motion. Icing up, he shot out of his spot on an ice slide. He concentrated on the water molecules in Wanda and for a split second, froze them. She fell, unconscious before she could fire a hex at him.

Landing beside a stunned Pyro and Avalanche, he punched Pyro straight in the nose, while lashing out with a leg into Alvers midriff. Both collapsed.

Juggernaut was not so taken aback. He charged at Bobby, not slowing for fear of falling. Bobby shot around him, the icy ground making it easier for him to move than his opponent. With a snarl, he skidded to a stop, swinging his fist around. Bobby dodged and sliding to the side, slammed his bare hand against the other's arm.

Juggernaut howled. Bobby concentrated hard, freezing the water molecules ruthlessly. The man might be raw power, but he was still made mostly of water. Still it took nearly a minute before the man lost consciousness.

Breathing returning to normal, he looked around. Half of the Brotherhood was now on the ground out cold. The only two still awake and trying to fight were Quicksilver and the Blob but the icy ground made it impossible for them to stand without nearly toppling.

"Hey come on" Pietro whined as he struggled gracelessly to keep upright. Bobby had forgotten had his irritating voice. "This isn't fair! When my father finds out..."

"What? That his son can't stand when it's a bit icy? Ah'd think he'd find more entertainin' than anythin' else. Ah know Ah do."

Bobby grinned at Rouge's Southern drawl as he turned to meet her. She was approaching him a little cautiously, but she was smiling widely.

"Hey Popsicle great timin', these dweebs dang near had mah number." She had now reached him and playfully punched his shoulder. "Great to see ya, but pull that disappearin' stunt again, Ah'll track ya down and ya'll be sorry."

"Great to see you to Stripes" causing her to punch him again.

"Anyone that'll kill the Icecube, it'll be me" Logan growled as he approached.

"Awww, I missed you too Logan." He grinned at the man. "Well maybe not your training or you're yelling or you calling me bub or Icecube or...."

Logan rolled his eyes and sheathed his claws. "Still the same. We'll just see how much of a smartass you'll be after I'm done with you."

"Great" Bobby deadpanned.

"Logan leave alone, he like, totally saved our lives" Kitty protested as the rest of the group joined them, except Jean who was busy taking care of Juggernaut and the Brotherhood.

"Ja man, zhat was awesome" Kurt agreed. He and Bobby fist tapped. "Great to zee you man."

"You too, 'Crawler, Kitty, Scott" he added to the older teen, who had so far said nothing. Scott gave a curt nod, just as Jean flew over.

"That's the best I can do. The Professor's already calling the guys who imprisoned the Juggernaut and I think they're coming. I'm not sure, but I think he'll be out 'till then. She smiled at Bobby. "Hey Bobby, great to see you and thanks for that. The Brotherhood has gotten a lot better and Juggernaut is really hard to take down, as you know."

"Are you back with us, zhen?" Kurt enquired.

"Depends. Do I still have a place?" he looked at Scott and Logan in particular.

Logan snorted. "Ya think you're getting off that easy, Icicle? By the time I'm through with you, you'll be begging to go back to the Arctic."

"We should get moving" Scott announced abruptly. "Magneto and the others are still in down that tunnel the others came up. We have to find them."

"Found the tunnel" Laura said. She had been at the edge of the group and had moved away, looking at a particular stretch of rock.

"Kid's right. Let's go. You can play catch up later" Logan strode over to Laura, the rest of the X-Men following.

Bobby happened to fall into line beside Kitty and he glanced at Alvers stretched motionless on the ground.

"Are you and Lance still going out?" He knew Alvers from the time he'd been briefly part of the X-Men. He was pretty cool, except for the whole 'hood' thing.

"God no." She wrinkled her nose. "We started falling out ages ago, the whole Magneto thing. I'm dating Colossus now. Remember him? He joined the X-Men a while ago."

"Ah wouldn't ask, Sugah" Rouge advised quietly behind him. "Get her goin' and ya'll be there for an age about them both."

More than a little amused, he followed the others.


	9. Chapter 9

Logan and Laura had stopped in front of a stretch of bare rock that looked remarkably like the rest around it.

"Are you sure about this Logan?" Kitty asked, eyeing the rock.

"It just looks like zhe rest of zhe area" Kurt agreed.

"It's here" Logan pronounced, sniffing. Stepping forward, he brought his leg up and kicked the rock in front of him. To Bobby's surprise, the rock gave way like metal and fell inwards, revealing a smooth metal corridor which was conspicuously empty.

The noise of the entrance giving way echoed around the corridor.

"Subtle Logan" Rouge observed.

"Ah well, might as well let whoever's down here know they've got company." Logan grinned. "'Sides Mags already knows we're here."

"Quite" a familiar, well cultured voice spoke from the end of the corridor. Logan let out a surprised grunt as both he and Laura were thrown into the wall of the tunnel, Laura snarling furiously.

Immediately, Cyclops fired his optic beams at the figure now visible, only to have it blocked by the door piece suddenly blocking the target.

Chuckling, Magneto drifted down the corridor, his cape rippling behind him.

"That is not a particularly friendly greeting, my trigger happy fellow. Where is your restraint?"

Then there was a loud bang and Bobby along with the others, found himself being hurled backward out through the entrance, landing in a heap on the still frozen ground along with still unconscious Brotherhood.

Bobby reflexively leapt to his feet. He was the only one to immediately do so; the others were scrambling to find their feet, having been shunted harder across the slippery ground and unable to stand. Glancing down, Bobby willed the frost away before looking up just as Magneto, Mystique and Gambit appeared.

"Why the Iceman, it has been awhile." He arched an eyebrow at him before looking around. "Clearly you have gained new talents whilst you have been away, though you retain the foolish optimism Charles preaches. When you realise the futility of it, there may be a position within the Brotherhood available."

At an indifferent wave, large metal spheres soared from the sky. Several swooped down and retrieved the fallen Brotherhood and Juggernaut. Before Bobby could intervene, a blast of red energy this time succeeded in hitting Magneto. He was thrown backwards, but managed to turn in midair and dive to a sphere, avoiding a bolt of lightning.

Then the world exploded. Bobby found himself flying once again before slamming into the hard rock. Dazed, he clung to consciousness as noise and heat assailed his struggling senses.

The noise faded and he managed to struggle up to his feet a little battered. Logan and Laura were both on their feet, from the look of it regenerating. Most of the others were struggling to get back up. No one appeared gravely injured, until he realised Kitty's hair was on fire. He doused it quickly before she realised.

"Everyone alright?" Scott called hoarsely. Jean was doing a mental head count, assessing everyone.

Logan was already striding into the smoking ruins of the tunnel, Laura hot on his heels like a second shadow, their claws out and flashing.

"Man zhat was totally not cool" Kurt muttered, shaking his head. Other than singed fur he appeared fine, as was Hank. Storm's cape was in tatters and her hair was in disarray. Rouge looked shaken, but otherwise fine. In a moment of irrelevancy, Bobby wondered why girls always fell for bad guys. Between her and Kitty, they managed to completely confuse his already limited knowledge on girls.

Jean sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Everybody's alright, considering. There's no sign of Magneto, he must have launched off when the explosion occurred."

There's nothing left in here" Logan announced, striding back to the group. "Just great big twisted lumps of metal. There's nothing to go on."

"What should we do?" Jean asked, looking at her boyfriend.

Cyclops sighed. "There's nothing we can do here. Whatever Magneto wanted, he got. We don't know what that is and not only that, we lost the Juggernaut. We'll have to go back home and reconsider there." He turned to Logan. "That place looked military. Maybe you could ask Nick Fury about what was in there."

Logan grunted. "No promises. Fury's known for being evasive, he might just claim no knowledge on the whole thing."

"So persuade him" Scott answered, his voice flat. Logan gave a thoughtful grin at that.

"Let's go then" Hank sighed. "We have two planes to bring back and I'm sure homework is awaiting at home." He grinned at the groans from Kurt, Kitty and Rouge.

"Crime fightin' and havin' homework together ain't fair." Rouge grumbled.

"Hey we'll ride together zhen? Kurt draped an arm over Rouge's shoulder and gesturing for Kitty to come over. He grinned at Bobby. "I think you have some adventures to share with us."

"Just as long as he comes to me later on" Hank called as he boarded the mini jet. "He's due a physical."

"Wha...?" Bobby's jaw dropped. Hank gave regular health checks to all the students and they were a mixture of boredom and embarrassment. He'd only been back a few hours and Hank was already scheduling one?

"Ah cheer up, Popsicle" Rouge had perked up somewhat at the look on Bobby's face. "It'll save ya from the others all demandin' to know what ya've been up to."

"But not before us, of course" Kitty said cheerfully. Bobby just groaned as he followed his friends up the mini jet.

A/N: my God, this is taking longer than I had first thought. Not only is it taking ages to write, it eats into my time looking through Fanfiction at stories. Ah well it will be worth it if people like it. Review please!


	10. Chapter 10

By the time they had reached the mansion, Bobby, Kitty, Rouge, Kurt and even Hank occasionally, were in fits of laughter. Not getting into the more dramatic parts of the last year, he had instead retold various stories involving costumed wacko's that New York had running around. By the time he had finished one involving a man dressed as a rhino and tripping over his own feet straight into a garbage trucks waste, they were wiping tears from their faces. It was fortunate the mini jet had automatic piloting.

"So anyway Toad is hopping around like he always does and zhen zhere was Pietro zooming around alright? Anyway Jean blocks Toad's tongue coming at her and it manages to go straight in his way. It snagged zhose awful pants of his..."

"And they tore clean off" Rouge chortled. "Let me tell ya Ah've never seen Quicksilver run that fast when he was standin' in front of all the X-Men and Brotherhood and his sister in Superman undies."

"It didn't help zhat Evan tossed a flaming spike at him. The things caught fire." Kurt chuckled, his tailing swishing merrily.

"Speaking of Evan, where is he?" Bobby asked.

The others traded looks and Kurt's tail stopped swishing.

"He went back underground to the Morlocks a couple of months ago" Kitty said. "They were being hunted by some bigoted jerks. Evan went back to protect them."

"Oh" was all Bobby could think to say.

"Ja, but it had nothing to do with you man" Kurt said quietly. "We were all glad to see Evan again, but he is happier to stay with zhe Morlocks. At least for now."

There was an uncomfortable pause, which Kitty broke. "So Bobby, are your powers any better? I saw you in the fight; I've never seen you do things like that before."

Hank glanced over at him in concern, obviously wondering how comfortable Bobby was in this subject. Bobby half grimaced back; he'd have to tell them something, particularly as he was wearing an enormous sheath of metal around his waist.

"Uh, no, actually, there a lot worse" he confessed.

"How can they be worse than before?" Kitty asked, before wincing. "That didn't come out right."

"It's ok" he smiled at her embarrassment. He hooked up his jacket and showed the belt.

"It's a power dampener. Basically, without this... I'd probably kill myself and everyone around me without even trying."

"Whoa" Kitty looked shocked, as did Kurt and Rouge.

"Power dampener?" Rouge inquired. Bobby wasn't really surprised by her interest; he'd bet she wouldn't mind one if it meant she touch someone without killing them.

"I wouldn't try it Rouge. It basically gives me enough control to use my powers safely. I don't know what would happen if anyone else were to try it."

"It probably wouldn't be very effective" Hank piped up from the pilot's seat, the familiar view of the mansion outside the window. "It was probably adapted to your personal powers and problems. While theoretically, the basic design could be adapted, yours would function only to suit your specific powers. I must actually take a look at it."

"So long as I'm wearing it, it'll be fine."

"Anyway we have returned, so strap up" as Hank began to descend.

With a whine, the jet swooped into the hanger and settled to the ground just as the old jet entered. Stretching, Bobby followed his friends out of the jet as the other members of the team filed off the other jet.

"Come on people, we need to debrief" Scott said, leading them out of the hanger. Bobby was a little amused at Scott's orders included the older Hank, Ororo and Logan, but they seemed to take it in their strides; Wolverine only rolling his eyes at Scott's point of the obvious.

They filed into the Professors office, noise and mayhem resounding through the school. Bobby grinned as he shut the door. That was more like it.

The Professor was waiting for them and without preamble Scott launched into debriefing, the fight, the military like base and the explosion that let the Brotherhood escape. It was all facts, clipped and precise, but Bobby knew from past experience he was most likely blaming himself for the mission failure.

Xavier sat, lost in thought, before speaking to Jean. "That presence I felt..."

"I don't know what that was" Jean responded instantly. "It felt familiar, but also...not."

The Professor sighed and nodded. "Well Logan, if the base Magneto attacked was indeed military; your...acquaintance Nick Fury may indeed know something about it."

"Fury knows something, I'll find out" he grimaced. "Eventually."

Xavier nodded and then smiled. "On this unsettling note, let's move to a more pleasant one. As you all now know, Bobby has agreed to return to the X-Men, at least for the moment. I hope we will all welcome him home again."

"'Course Chuck" Logan grinned a feral grin at Bobby. "I've got a great 'welcome back' training session in store for him."

Bobby did not like the sound of that, nevertheless he stood his ground. Last thing he wanted was for Logan to sense weakness.

"Of course we're glad to see Bobby" Kitty interjected, giving Logan a look. "We're family."

The Professor smiled, just as Bobby felt his conscious brush his. _Bobby I'm afraid we have to tell them some of the things that happened this year, if only your power enhancement at the hands of a madman. _

_That's ok. _Bobby mentally sighed_. Just keep the drama to a minimum, ok?_

_Of course._The Professor then turned his attention to Hank. "Since you have Bobby here, before he manages to wrangle out of it, maybe you should conduct his physical now?"

Bobby opened his mouth to protest just as Hank smiled evilly. "An excellent idea Charles. Let's go Bobby" and steered the youth towards the door.

They didn't even make it half way to the lab, when they were spotted.

"Bobby's back!" Tabitha yelled.

Instantly, they were swarmed by familiar faces.

"'Bout time you came back dude" Ray bellowed, slapping his back.

"Great to see you Bobby!" Amara exclaimed.

"Hey what's up man?" Sam called, holding out a fist to knock.

"What took you so long, Popsicle? Disappear on us like that again, and I won't be happy!" Tabitha threatened, rubbing her hands in warning.

"Alright" Hank bellowed over the din. "Bobby is long overdue a visit to my lab, so scatter, or I'll find the time to schedule you all for a physical."

As quickly as they came, the group dispersed and Hank all but hauled a reluctant Bobby in.


	11. Chapter 11

Nearly two hours later, a very relieved Bobby made his escape from Hank's domain. He had spent an endless time listening to Hank berating him on his lack of attention to his body's need of proper nutrition. He had lost quite a bit of weight since he'd left; the only thing really left on his bones was apparently muscle and skin, which he now knew was _not_ a good thing.

Bobby was passing the Danger Room, when he saw it was in session. Intrigued, he peered in. Laura was in the middle of an intense session, involving lasers, whirling rotors and grabbing claws. With complete ease and grace, she soared effortlessly through the air before sliding down the wall and dodging the pincers easily.

Bobby knew enough of the Danger Room to recognise it was a defensive exercise, designed to sharpen one's reflexes. If he had to guess, Laura had chosen it because if she went all 'Weapon X' on the machinery, the cost of maintaining the Danger Room would rise considerably.

Having nothing better to do, he iced up and joined the fray. "It okay if I join you?"

Laura threw him an irritated glance in the half second she could spare and didn't answer. Taking this as reluctant consent, he swept around the wall on an ice slide, making sure to stay out of Laura's way.

It was strangely calming dodging projectiles and keeping one step ahead of the machines. It left nothing but action and reaction in his mind, all other thoughts disappearing. For a long time, he and Laura ducked and dodged all the Room had to throw at them. Laura even started using his ice slides and the pair without originally intending to, started to pair up to befuddle the computers.

Then the room's assault suddenly stopped. Confused, they stopped, both on a slide. The reason became clear when they spotted Logan and Scott at the entrance.

"What did you do that for?" Laura demanded leaping off the slide, Bobby following.

"Hate to tell ya kid, but you shouldn't be in here on your own."

"I wasn't" Laura snarled, jerking her head to indicate Bobby. He felt internally pleased she had acknowledged his presence enough to include him.

"And he should know better" Scott said flatly, giving Bobby a hard stare.

"'Sides which, its dinnertime. You guys were in here for a couple of hours." Logan said, looking very mildly impressed. He obviously didn't mind too much about them training on their own. Scott on the other hand had a stony expression.

"Go clean up you two" he said curtly, before leaving. Logan chuckled slightly and went in the opposite direction.

"See you" he said to Laura as they went to separate bathrooms. Laura looked at him with an unreadable face before nodding once and going into the girls changing room.

Bobby quickly changed and just put the clothes he had been wearing before; he didn't sweat, so it didn't stink. Stretching tired muscles, he walked down to the dining room.

It was alive with chatter and laughter and he paused for a second before walking in. Instantly, he was besieged with cheers and catcalls from his old friends, all of whom wanted to know what he'd been up to for the last year. He was delighted to hear his old friend Sam had become a part of the 'A Team' of the X-Men and Ray, Amara, Roberto, Jubilee and even Multiple were going to be new members soon. Bobby had been the first of the New Mutants to join the X-Men team and it had been a little embarrassing, not that he'd ever said that. He was glad to hear the others were joining.

There were several new students, all of who were looking at Bobby with a mix of shyness and curiosity. Hank supplied their names; Lorna Dane, Douglas Ramsey and Betsy Braddock, also known as Polaris, Cypher, and Psylocke. The two girls were striking, one's hair was green, the others purple. The guy looked like any ordinary person and it might have attributed to his shy demeanour.

For over an hour, he talked, laughed and shared stories with the others while the teachers looked on. One thing that really bugged Tabs and Ray was that he was no longer in Bayville High, free from Kelly, the bigoted ass of a principal. Bobby was not sorry in that regard, he did not miss Bayville High at all and sympathised with the others, who were aggrieved about him attending school in New York. Thankfully, the school was on a break for the moment so he could resettle into life back at the mansion.

The others were only partly aware of the last year; he could tell from some of the sidelong looks, the older students knew a little more than the rest. He was pretty sure Ororo and the Professor had told Logan and possibly Laura knew too, she might have been the room when the Professor told the others. Bobby found he didn't really mind; provided they wouldn't make a huge fuss or tell the New Mutants, he was ok. It was kind of nice having people who knew and cared.

Despite having a great time, by nine o'clock he was knackered. From spilling his soul, to fighting and getting thrown around and finally caught up in his friends' exuberant energies, he was ready to drop. Waving away disappointed groans and sly calls of old age; he began to make tracks toward his bed.

_Bobby. _He paused as the Professor's voice reverberated in his skull. He turned on the stairs to see Xavier rolling over.

_I was wondering if you would consider the possibility of perhaps teach__ing some of the classes on control._

Bobby blinked in befuddled disbelief. _You're kidding right? Me teaching? No one would go for that._

_Ah, you underestimate yourself. Personally I believe you would make a very good teacher... if you learn from the mistakes Scott and Jean made when they first began teaching. _Bobby winced as he recalled the early attempts of the older two trying to teach the younger students. He himself had made the job particularly difficult. He could easily imagine the same thing happening to him.

_Would you consider it? I believe the others and yourself could learn a great deal._

Too tired to protest, he agreed. Trudging up the stairs he just made it to his bedroom. Wearily, he pulled off his clothes and flopped onto the bed, too tired to pull the duvet out from underneath him, just pulling the throw over him...just in case someone barged in.

Just before he fell asleep, he smiled contentedly. He was home.

A/N: hmm, might be getting a little bit off track, but where the muse goes and all that. Hopefully, things will pick up soon. My thanks to Abbs of the Faeries, who has graciously been kind enough to review regularly and eased my crushing lack of self esteem.


	12. Chapter 12

Three weeks later, Bobby was not so content. He was in fact, dodging missiles being launched from a mammoth bipedal robot, which was intent on blasting him out of the sky.

"Magma, Boom Boom, hard left" he snapped over the communicator.

Tabs and Amara responded, just barely out of the way of a stray car getting tossed in their direction.

"_Mutants. You are hereby ordered to surrender or be eradicated." _The behemoth robot commanded.

"Get bent, you piece of scrap metal" Ray hurled a bolt of electricity at the machine, which made it step back before firing a bolt at Berserker, who would have been hit had not one of Multiple's dupes grabbed him out of the way.

Bobby gritted his teeth and then a small grin formed when an idea occurred to him. "Alright guys, change of plan. Everybody scatter and keep the bot distracted. Magma, I need you to fire on a specific spot on its chest. Move."

The others broke up, fanning out. Sunspot, his body jet black, threw cars at the robot. Wolfsbane, who did not fare to well to this kind of fight, snapped and snarled around the things feet, along with Jamie and his dupes, who was actually safer among the chaos his dupes made. Ray, Jubilee, and Tabitha hunkered around behind cars, throwing lightning, plasma and bombs at the seemingly indifferent monstrosity.

Amara from her position shifted into her lava form and unleashed an intense stream of liquid fire at a spot on the machines torso. She kept at it, the area glowing red. Then she let out a yelp as the machine fired a cannon straight at her.

Having no other alternative, Bobby swung around to intercept the beam. Intense heat battered his icy body, knocking him off his slide. Skidding back to the ground he let his thermal vision take over his eyesight, honing in on the area Amara had hit. He hurled a beam of ice straight at the heart of the white light.

A massive plume of steam rose instantly from the instant contact of hot and cold and a dull cracking could be heard. Pushing the water molecules away what he saw made him grin. Just visible, was a long thin crack in the bots armour.

"Way to go Icicle" Tabs yelled as she flung minute bombs at the fault, Ray and Jubilee copying.

"Sunspot, Multiple, Wolfsbane, move it!" Bobby yelled. The team mates promptly raced away from the robot, just as it froze...and with a satisfying bang, exploded.

The flying debris shimmered out of existence before they could react to it and the Danger Room's doors opened.

"Hey good job" Jean smiled in approval, looking impressed.

"Could be better" Scott said flatly. He gave Bobby a look. "What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" Bobby replied, puzzled. He'd thought it had gone pretty well. From the looks the others were giving Scott, including Jean herself, they were confused as well.

"The whole being a hero thing and taking a hit." Scott snapped. "You were supposed to defend, not be a reckless daredevil trying to impress us."

"But I wasn't..." Bobby began, becoming a little annoyed.

"Scott" Jean spoke reprovingly and he relaxed...slightly. But he was still giving Bobby a look which was pretty easy to read, despite the visor. He wasn't happy.

Well in all honesty, Bobby wasn't either.

"It's time to get ready for school" Jean announced. "Bobby you want to hurry..."

Bobby glanced at his watch and let out a startled yelp.

"Cripes I'm going to be late. See you later guys!" he sprinted down the hall.

In record time, he had showered and changed and was rushing down the stairs, his bag bouncing wildly on his shoulder. He skidded into the kitchen, making a beeline for the coffee pot usually reserved for the staff. He also grabbed a muffin and an apple from the counter; in too much of a hurry to have cereal, but not daring to skip eating breakfast altogether. He had done that one day when he'd been late and the reaming he'd received from Hank about it gave him no desire to try his luck again.

Speaking of Hank, he Ororo, the Professor and the older students were already down at the table, most of who had looked up briefly at his entrance.

"Hi guys" he said, before wolfing down his breakfast, not bothering to sit. Hank frowned, but showed remarkable restraint by not commenting on his inhaling of a light breakfast.

"Will you be able to catch the train?" Ororo inquired.

Bobby glanced at the time and grimaced. "Gonna have to ice slide the whole way. It'll be faster."

"And if someone spots you?" Scott asked, now joining the others.

"It'll be fine. I'll be going fast; by the time I get there the ice slide will be gone before anyone can complain too much." Eager to leave as he could see a lecture coming from Scott now, he gulped down his cold coffee and bolted for the door. "See you guys later!"

Out on the lawn, he concentrated and launched into the sky on his trusty ice slide. Cool morning air whipped his face as he soared high over Bayville, able to see the morning traffic building up. His method of transportation was far faster, though had the awkward complications of someone seeing him or spotting his slide. Thankfully the speed he could reach on his slides could rival that of the X-Jet, if pushed, leaving not a lot of time for people to gawk.

This was about the fourth time in the last three weeks he had to commute this way to get to college, largely because of the time spent in Danger Room. The class he was in was less than two hours from when he had to catch his train. It wouldn't be so bad if he was in the X-Men session beforehand; but for some reason, Scott had put him in charge of the New Mutants sessions.

Scott had been confusing in his attitude towards him since he'd returned. He barely spoke to him outside of training and when he did, it was usually in the form of orders or dressing downs when Bobby did something he didn't approve of, even little things like this morning. He also hadn't brought him back to the sessions with the older students yet, which puzzled him. But after a couple of weeks, he suspected Scott was pissed about his leaving or coming back or possibly both. He was also sure he wasn't particularly happy about the Professor's decision to have him teach the others.

He had agreed to teach some of the classes of his fellow teammates, while inwardly wondering if he'd signed his death papers. Surprisingly it was quite easy to give out instructions and have them followed after the others got over the fact he was teaching them. He had been the somewhat unofficial leader of the New Mutants when he'd been here before, yet it was surprisingly gratifying to be able to get them to listen to him, even if Tabs had taken to calling him Cyclops Junior occasionally. He'd even had some classes with the new members, though it had mostly involved getting them comfortable around him and finding out their powers.

Bobby knew that when he had been there before, he'd annoyed Scott with his attitude and pranks. Scott, to all intents and purposes, was far too strict for his own good. Bobby had never really seen him lighten up, except maybe in the occasional mutant ball game. Having to deal with Bobby all over again was probably severely testing that uptight demeanour.

Bobby could actually sympathise with him, but after a few weeks, he was starting to test his own patience. He might take stuff like that, but not forever.

He wondered idly when Logan would come back from meeting Fury. Having a lead on what Magneto had snagged would give Fearless Leader something else to focus on. They hadn't come across any of the Brotherhood since they last fought and the utter defeat at the hands of their enemies wasn't improving Cyclops mood.

His destination in sight, he dropped to land in an alley near the college, destroying the slide in the process. Enough of worrying about annoying colleagues and supervillan enemies. He had class to get to.


	13. Chapter 13

After a reassuringly mundane class, Bobby was heading off the campus towards the train station, figuring it would be a good idea to take public transport after ice sliding to school. But the screaming of people nearby along with the unmistakable sounds of cars being hurled through the air, made him forget the idea. Running towards the commotion, he was just in time to see the Amazing Spiderman go flying across the street and into a truck. The reason for this was immediately identified as a man with giant metal pincers protruding from his back, a couple holding him aloft, while the others were picking up a garbage truck to throw after the Spiderman.

Bobby ran forward and icing up, grabbed hold of one of the claws holding the guy in the air. Instantly, ice shot up the creepy metal spine up his back to which all the claws were attached, freezing the joints.

The man bellowed in outrage and tried to turn to glare at Bobby. "Who dares challenge Dr. Octavious?! Who would be so foolish as to intervene in my moment of personal triumph; dare to challenge the greatest mind in the world? I...ump!"

"Save the speeches, Doc, we've heard them before" Spiderman answered, having sealed his mouth shut with web. He grinned at Bobby. "Thanks Iceman, appreciate it."

"No prob. So who's this whack job?"

"Dr. Octavious" he replied promptly. "Also known as Dr. Octopus, for obvious reasons."

"Of course" Bobby looked at the man, who was struggling mightily to be free. Good luck with that with web and ice holding him down.

He heard sirens coming closer. "New York's finest" Spiderman looked at the doctor. "I think you'll be a good boy and behave for the nice policemen yes?"

Bobby chuckled. "I better go Spidey I've got a train to catch."

"Had enough of New York? Can't really blame you, but if you wanna be a superhero, you really don't need to go anywhere else."

"Yeah, you guys have really quite a lot of lunatics in tights around here."

"Humph, don't knock it till you tried it" Spidey retorted.

Bobby laughed. "See ya."

"Yeah. Thanks again." Spiderman leapt back into the air, firing a web line at a building and swinging out of sight. Bobby followed suit on an ice slide, heading towards the train station but stopping well before his destination in an alley to destroy the slide.

A little over an hour later he was back in Bayville and walking back to the school. The lengthy commute gave him time to start on his homework; a problem with being back at the mansion was that there was little peace to work.

He was walking up the mansions driveway when he spotted something: Logan's bike. Quickening his pace, he walked into the foyer and looked around.

_We're in my office Bobby." _Grimacing Bobby walked down to the Professors office, where it was opened by Ororo, who smiled at him and let him in.

The others in the office were Xavier, Logan, Hank, Jean and Scott, who like him, were in college and had different timetables to the rest of the students.

The Professor smiled and gestured at Bobby, who slipped over to stand beside Hank, leaning against the wall.

"You were saying Logan?"

"Fury was pretty forth coming when I told him Magneto had trashed the site. Basically, from what I gather it was kinda like a storage area for the government's info on mutants. Old classified stuff, like in the Second World War and through the Cold War. Black op experimentation, knowledge gathering. From what I can tell, for most it was shut down years ago, but Fury hinted-after he sniffed around a little- it might still be used by the powers behind the curtain. He thinks there might have been a data site there for all of the current things as well-all known mutants on file, tampering of the X-Genes, the Sentinel programs, behind the scene experimentation on mutants." There was an edge to Logan's voice at this. He was one of those experiments.

"Why would Magneto go after this?" Jean frowned.

"Perhaps persuasion, use knowledge of what black ops the government has performed to rally those to his cause." Xavier tapped his desk thoughtfully. "I've been trying to track him through Cerebro, but I cannot find him or the Brotherhood. Magnus helped me design it; he could possibly have figured a way of shielding himself and the Brotherhood."

"The Brotherhood guys are nowhere around here." Scott spoke up. "We checked the Mystiques house a couple of times; they haven't been there for a while."

"This raises more questions than answers Charles" Hank mused.

"Indeed" the Professor sighed. "Thank you Logan."

"Sure Chuck. I am to inform Mags when we find him he is under arrest by the power of S.H.I.E.L.D., assuming he's in a fit state to be arrested."

Xavier chuckled reluctantly. "All right, that's all for now."

The group dispersed as they left the office, Bobby heading for his room when he noticed the Danger Room in session. Knowing instantly what this meant, he went in.

Sure enough, there was Laura in the midst of an intense session again. She was incredibly predictable when it came to them, he almost always saw her in here. He often joined her in the practise; he enjoyed fighting with her and she seemed to finally relax a little around him, though rarely talked. It also had the bonus effect of aggravating Scott who couldn't really get Logan on his side to stop them from coming in whenever they felt like it.

The session halted and Laura landed nimbly on the ground. "Yes?" she snapped at him.

He looked at her startled. "What?"

"Is there a reason you are here?"

"Thought I'd come in and practise" he replied, puzzled.

"I wish to be on my own" she answered, silently daring him to argue.

Bobby, being Bobby, pushed the issue. "Everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. Now will you leave?" she stared at him, her eyes flashing and her shoulders tense.

Bobby leant against the wall, frowning at her. He knew he was playing with fire, but he hadn't seen her like this since he had come back.

A thought ran through his head and he voiced it. "Is this about Logan going to S.H.I.E.L.D?" As far as he knew, S.H.I.E.L.D had been the ones to track her down when she was X-23, to recapture her.

Laura flinched, almost imperceptibly. She said nothing, but the tension in her body grew.

Bobby knew he nailed it. The little he knew about Laura's life was enough to let him know how truly awful it was. Raised as a weapon, to kill others before the time she could walk. Experimented on, created by Logan's DNA, never knowing what it was like to be a child, was so cruel and unimaginable. It made his own experimentation look trivial.

"I'm sorry, Laura" he said quietly.

"I don't need your pity" she snarled, her claws sprouting out.

Bobby held his ground. "It's not pity. I'm sorry for what those people did to you and admire you for not breaking and being who you are. Getting experimented on isn't cool and for it to be most of your life..." he trailed off. Before she could rage at him, he hooked up his shirt and showed his belt.

"Mine was for only a day. I think it takes a person of great strength to survive that for years and I really admire you for it."

She stared at him for a long second, the tension slowly draining out of her. "I see" she said finally. Bobby could hear the unspoken apology and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Want to kick the computer's butt?" he asked lightly, driving away the leftover tension. She gave a feral grin at this and with a command, the room exploded into action again.

A/N: I was going to deal with the Scott and Bobby attitude in this chapter, but I liked this better. At the moment, it's just rambling while I figure out the ending, which at this rate will be a while. I think I know how it'll end, but my thoughts change and so might the ending. Ah, who cares? It'll come to me.


	14. Chapter 14

Bobby was in the midst of ducking under a stray laser when the room's commotion abruptly ceased.

"Not again" Laura growled behind him, swinging to the door as it opened.

Scott walked in and Bobby just knew, by the way he walked, he was pissed.

"Laura, I've told you before, you are to work with the others in a Danger Room session. Keep this up and I'll remove you from the system."

Laura opened her mouth defiantly, but Scott cut her off. "You're part of the X-Men now and that means you have to follow orders the same as everyone else. Am I understood?"

Laura's posture was stiff. Bobby wondered if Scott even realized how close she was to strike. He stepped forward.

"Scott lay off, she was just in here for practise, she can handle it."

"I wasn't addressing you, Drake" Scott snapped. "Am I understood Laura?"

"Yes" she muttered.

"Good. That's all for now."

Laura moved towards the doors and Bobby followed, just as Scott's voice rang out. "Not you Drake."

Startled, Bobby hung back as Laura looked back, eyes startled. He shrugged at her.

Laura left and Bobby walked back to the other teenager, feeling trepid.

"What the hell is your problem, Drake?"

"My problem?" he answered, confused.

"You are consistently and repeatedly defying my orders as this team's leader."

"What?" he said incredulously.

"Do I stutter? Just there, you stepped in to usurp my authority at Laura's actions."

"Yeah, because I thought it was a little unfair." Bobby pointed out. "Laura's been through training that makes Logan's look tame."

"That isn't the point" Scott said tightly. "The fact is you questioned my leadership and have done so since you came back."

"In what?" Bobby said, becoming exasperated. "I've taken over the New Mutants class, despite the fact I should be in with you lot..."

"Maybe because of your attitude? In sessions, you completely disregard what your objective is; you put the others in danger..."

"What?!" Bobby exclaimed.

"... By showing off and playing the hero, like this morning" Scott continued. "And not just in sessions, right Drake? Like your stunt this morning in New York?"

"What..."

"It was on the news Drake. What did you honestly think you were doing? Spiderman is considered a vigilante, a criminal. By helping him, not only were you putting your own reputation on the line, you were putting the X-men's on as well."

"I know Spiderman; he's a good guy..."

"And by playing the hero with him, you could be putting peoples' opinions on mutants in even worse shape than it is now! What kind of selfish stunt was that? You..."

"What the hell is your problem Scott?" Bobby demanded. The lecture had sent Bobby's blood boiling and he snapped.

"What you don't get it yet? You..."

"...Are mad at me" Bobby supplied. "But not just because you think I'm a disobedient, mindless zombie. No, you're mad at something else. The fact that I left? Or the fact I came back?"

"That" Scott began in measured tones "has got nothing to do..."

"It's got everything to do with it" Bobby interrupted. "Want to know what I think? You're mad at me because I left the team, left the responsibility of defending mutant rights to you lot and am now coming and living off the rest of you. Is that what this is about? I was living it easy while you guys were fighting the forces of evil and am now coming back to play the game again, right?"

"This isn't a game" Scott snarled.

"You're not kidding me. Look, I now you have it rough. I know that you can't even take those stupid shades off without fear of destroying something. But for God's sake, can't you see I'm going through the same thing of being afraid of what my powers will do to people? The only thing stopping them is a huge great big chunk of metal and even then I've got to be careful! It's not as bad as yours but I still got kidnapped by a freaking guy from another dimension and got my powers ripped out of me and shoved back in completely screwed." His voice shook slightly. "The guys that made the damn belt had me drugged up to the nigh for a month while they tried to fix me. Don't you dare come at me for being a jerk and not listening to you, when really you're just mad at me for taking off."

"Why did you come back?" Scott said, face expressionless.

"The Professor found me, after I had gotten shot and found out I could turn into ice. It really helped someone cared to find me and tell me to come home like that."

"Why did you even leave? The others"

"Would have helped me. How? I was freezing the mansion solid every night and then that thing with Evan, how the hell could you expect me to stay, knowing that just by getting a little angry I'd send people flying by the water in their bodies? Evan could have been really hurt had it not been for that hard head of his, how could I stay?"

Just then the door opened and a grumbling hoard of New Mutants trooped in, Logan at the rear. They all stopped as they took in the scene in front of them; Bobby and Scott virtually a foot between them almost nose to nose. Scott's back was straight and face tight while Bobby stood fists clenched and glaring at the other.

"Everything good, fellas?" Logan inquired, taking stock of the situation.

"Everything's cool" Bobby smiled brightly, whilst seething and wishing to punch Scott into the wall opposite. "See you guys" he added to his uncertain comrades and left the room in long strides, fighting his urge to freeze the room solid.

Outside and still striding, it occurred to him this wasn't working and quickly, without actually running he went outside the back towards the large lake just outside the mansions grounds; a cast off from the river not to far away. After checking no one was around, he unleashed the power building and froze the lake solid.

The fury in his head abated and he cursed his stupidity and unfroze the lake again. He checked to see the fish were moving before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

He reflected that at least he managed to get outside before going nuts. That had to count for something, given that last year he probably would have sent Scott into the wall.

He sighed. Scott's rant had hurt and confirmed what he thought earlier. But suspicions were not the same as hearing them aloud. He wondered if any of the others felt the same about him and if he would stay if anyone else said them.

"Bobby?"

Startled he leapt up and whirled to see Jean coming over.

"Hi Jean" he replied warily, unsure if Jean was hear to repeat the riot act after her boyfriend.

"I heard you and Scott fight" tapping her temple to show how she heard. "Don't take it to heart Bobby he's just...angry. Angry and burning out. Being leader takes a toll. He's just lashing out."

Bobby sighed and wondered what on earth Jean saw in Scott. She was perhaps one of the most caring people he'd ever met, something like a big sister to him. If she saw something in Summers, he can't be all bad.

She smiled. "That's sweet of you."

Bobby blushed and she laughed. "Come on let's go back inside."

"'Kay" he sighed and stretched and followed her inside.

A/N: Again what do you think? Thank you Abbs of the Faeries for your encouraging reviews.

In answer to your questions, yes knackered means exhausted. I'm Irish; it's actually pretty common over here.

Secondly, I might pair Bobby and Laura, but I might not. I think it'd be funny as one of the more unlikely pairings in Evolution, but I might just make it friendship. I think Laura needs a friend and they have a sliver in common, with the whole being experimented on. (Shrugs) haven't written it yet, so it's a mystery even to me!


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Bobby was striding to the Danger Room to train with the New Mutants. He had to admit, Professor X had been right about the teaching. It was surprisingly satisfying and he wondered if maybe he would continue after college. Today he didn't have class, so he wouldn't have to race to catch the train.

But instead of the New Mutants, he saw Scott instead. He stopped startled and wary. He hadn't talked to Fearless Leader since yesterday and had been avoiding him whenever possible. He didn't trust himself not to lash out at the harsh words exchanged only the day before.

"Drake" Scott acknowledged; his face and posture betraying nothing.

"Scott" he returned. "Where is everyone?" looking around.

Scott jerked a thumb upwards to the observation area, still saying nothing.

"Oh okay. Umm, why are they up there?"

"Because they and the rest of the staff are going to watch."

"Uhh, watch what?"

"Us fight" Scott said simply.

Bobby's jaw dropped. "Uhh come again?"

"You and I are going to fight. If you win, or impress the others enough, you're back on the X-Men. Lose, you're going to continue train the New Mutants." He cocked his head. "Alright?"

Bobby was still trying to take this in, struggling to make sense of this new development.

A speaker came to life. "First round is hand to hand, no powers from either. Second round, combat and powers all out. We'll call a halt to the rounds after thirty minutes or when one of you can't continue. Clear?"

Bobby was now quickly realising this was not a joke. Inwardly, he thought of his chances. He was not as good a hand to hand fighter as Scott; for all his stiff personality he knew how to fight. Bobby preferred to fight with his powers and in a head to head just using them; he figured he would probably win.

_This is going to be interesting_ he thought as he tensed in readiness.

A noise blared over the speaker and Bobby got only a split second warning before Scott charged. He struck out with his fist, which Bobby instinctively blocked, but missed the sharp kick to his gut. He skidded back, winded.

_Christ, he's really going for it._

Scott came swinging around again and Bobby tensed. Instead of trying to block the move, he waited for the last possible moment and then dove to the side. With muscle memory born from ice sliding his way around the place, he threw himself into a back flip and landed solidly on the ground again.

From then on, he avoided fighting Scott directly and took a more defensive stance. He let Scott come at him and would duck out of the attack. When it was possible, he landed a few blows. Scott was the better fighter, but Bobby had faster reflexes and the fight was incredibly even handed; with both sides unable to hold ground for long. They could have been there for hours had the whistle not blown, signalling the end of the fight.

"Alright" Logan's voice announced. "Power fight starting now."

Bobby sucked in a breath, breathing hard and was pleased to see Scott looking a little out of breath from the clash as well. Of course, of the two he was the only one sweating slightly.

With a thought, Bobby shifted into ice form; faint aches and pains fading instantly. In this kind of fight, he had the advantage, but knowing Scott, he was thinking of a strategy.

Scott fired a beam of intense energy at him and he easily dodged, launching onto an ice slide. He soared into the air, only to feel the slide give out on him. He leapt to the side and landed hard on the ground.

_Damn I hate it when I'm right_. Scott was used his powers to destroy the slide's base, ensuring that the whole structure was unstable. And while Bobby could manipulate the slide and resist it, it would take a fair bit of energy to resist Cyclops's mighty gaze.

Scott's beam lanced out again and Bobby dodged and froze the ground. Using this like his slide, he slid effortlessly and picked up speed in order to avoid the continuing beam chasing him. He flipped on the ground and shot towards Scott.

Scott fell onto self defence, falling back and lashing out a foot while reaching to his visor. Bobby kicked him in the side and gave him a quick hard punch before skipping away.

He was holding back, he knew. It would be quite easy just to reach out and pin Scott to the wall by the water in his body and hold him there; like what Magneto does when he meets Logan. He wasn't sure why he was keeping back. Considering he was still pissed at Scott, it would be rather enjoyable just to hang him upside down in the air. It just didn't seem fair.

His musings were cut short when Scott abruptly shot at the wall. Bobby quickly realized what he was doing and leapt to the side, but the ricochet clipped him.

_Ok,_ he thought, _I might be holding back but not that much. _

He leapt upwards, pushing off on cold air. Scott hesitated slightly but fired another shot at him. Bobby countered with an ice beam, which hit Cyclops's head on. Steam shot out in all directions and the area was bathed in a fog.

Thermal vision activating, Bobby had no trouble spotting Scott. He dove straight at his bright figure and kicked him in the gut. Scott half doubled over but managed to lash out at the cold emanating from Bobby. He hit him, but it hurt Scott more than Bobby and he staggered.

Bobby swerved at Scott's counter blast, ducking nimbly from side to side. So close, it was difficult for him to get a fix on Bobby. He gave a swift kick to Scott's back and side stepped his counter. He finally froze the floor again and Scott, even in his trusty X-Man boots, found it difficult to manoeuvre. He and Bobby fell to blows; Scott imitating Bobby's defence earlier and trying to keep out of the way of Bobby's frozen limbs.

A blaring noise resounded. "Time" Hank announced.

Pulling away, Bobby shifted into human form while Scott spun on him. His expression was tight.

"You weren't going all out."

"Neither were you" Bobby pointed out, tapping a make believe visor on his temple. He shrugged. "In a real fight, if I absolutely had to, I would. As much as you piss me off, you haven't managed to push me to completely lose my cool. Pun unintended."

Scott just sighed, shoulders drooping slightly, as the door opened and the teams came in.

"Hey great job guys" Kitty said brightly. Walking alongside her was Peter, also known as Colossus, who Bobby had only seen a couple of times and who wasn't much of a talker.

"A wonderful effort from you both" Hank agreed smiling.

Logan just shrugged.

Jean glanced at Scott.

He sighed again. "Ok Drake, you've passed and are back on the team."

"Awesome!" Sam blurted out and then went red. Bobby just grinned and bumped fists with him over the chorus of cheers and catcalls.

"Ok enough of that" Logan interrupted. Now back, he was again in charge of training sessions. "Everyone's working out together today. Let's move out."

Everyone groaned.


	16. Chapter 16

After a completely exhausting morning, Bobby was worn out. The fight with Scott and then one of Logan's killer training sessions was enough to tire any man. At least he had the benefit of turning into ice to make any pain go away.

Scott strode past without even glancing at him, his left leg limping slightly. Bobby sighed. He knew that things between him and Scott were far from fixed; he still barely spoke to him other than commands and while not as criticising as before, the air between them was stiff and formal. He for his part was still hurt and angry at the outburst the day before. It was bizarre, but Scott had reminded him of his father, the feeling that everything he did wasn't good enough and feeling idiotic and useless. He certainly wasn't going to try and talk to him to sort things out.

Walking back to his room, he showered and changed and went downstairs. His friends were all in school, and Scott was thankfully at college as well. Those left were him, Logan, Jean (who had a different timetable to him and Scott), Laura, Ororo, Hank and Xavier. These mornings were always quiet and gave him time to do homework or catch up on things.

Except he felt restless. After this morning's drama, he was not in the mood just to do school work, which he had more or less finished. He wanted to do something.

Wandering around the mansion, he looked around at what the others were doing. Ororo was watering plants, which he steered clear of; he didn't want to discover what his powers were like when he had hay fever. Hank he passed in the hall, who was muttering what sounded like gibberish of some sort about a new project. Laura and Logan, as far as he was aware, were trying to teach her how to stop her from going berserk with fury. It struck Bobby odd that Logan of all people would teach this to someone, but he sensibly kept this to himself.

He was also pretty sure Jean was doing homework and not wishing to disturb the Professor, so he left them alone. It occurred to him that he was in danger of experiencing something he hadn't felt in a long time-boredom.

He went into the rec room and turned on the TV. It was pretty depressing to think he hadn't watched TV in probably a year. After looking through the channels and seeing what was on though, maybe that wasn't a bad thing.

Turning it off, he leant against the couch, thinking. He could train, but after this morning he wasn't in the mood. He could also finish off the last of his homework, again not really interesting. Or he could phone his folks...

He started. Where had that idea come from? Granted, he hadn't spoken to them in a while but...

He winced. His folks didn't know about him leaving the X-Men and certainly didn't know about him leaving in New York, or the North Pole for that matter. He had kept in touch with them; through his e-mail when in the pole, saying the school's phone line was down. He wasn't sure what happened when he out for a month, but he thought that maybe they didn't realize anything was wrong. He normally called about once a month and was sometimes busy. He did call in New York, letting them know he was in college, little things going on. His mother had been delighted to hear her son was accepted into a school so young, while his father had grouched on about his time keeping and finally getting his head on straight and pursuing a _normal_ career.

Bobby was never really sure what his father's idea of normal actually was. He disliked so much, that Bobby was sure he had to be a telepath to understand it. Actually, he'd have to be telepath to understand his father at all.

The idea of calling nagged at him and with a sigh, he got up to the phone out in the hall and punched in the number.

The phone rang twice and he heard his father's stern voice answer. "Drake residence."

Bobby winced. Damn. "Hi Dad" he said brightly.

"Bobby? What time is this to call? I thought you were in college, or so you last said. You haven't been thrown out already?"

_Already? Thanks Dad_. "Nope. My class isn't on today and I thought I'd, you know, call and say hi."

William Drake grunted. "Can't be learning much if you have nothing better to do than call here. Accounting, you said? Humph. Of all the professions you pick one where you have to sit and manage other peoples' finances? There's no hope for the economy of this country."

_And how much do you know about accounting Dad? An Ex- Army officer with a chip on his shoulder?__ Let's see you manage a day in my life, between powers, school, friends and overbearing family members. You have the last one; I'll give you that, with Mums sisters. _Trying desperately to stifle the rebellious thoughts that were arising, he said quickly "Yeah, well, better than building sandcastles right? Listen, is Mom there? I just want to say hi and I'll be off."

He grunted again and Bobby heard him call his mother. "Hello?"

Bobby exhaled. "Hey Mom."

"Bobby!" there was a happy note in his Mom's voice.

"How are you dear? How's college?"

"It's ok; I've don't have class today. How are you and Dad and everyone?"

"Oh we're alright. How about you, are you ok in Xavier's?"

"Yeah, it's fine" glad he didn't have to pretend anymore. "We're pretty busy." He and his family never really got into specifics over his mutation and the school; his mother worried and his father would rant.

"That's great honey" she said, after a slight hesitation. She worried about him and if she knew what he'd gone through last year, it would send her to an early grave.

"Yeah. Uh, listen I'm going to have to hurry up; I've got to go..."

"Bobby when your school is on a break, will you come and visit?" this was said very quickly. "It doesn't seem like it, but we haven't seen you in around a year and"

"Umm, yeah, that's ok" inwardly wondering how well that was going to end up. He and his father in the last few years, particularly after discovering his mutation, had a very strained relationship. Bobby had never understood his father's views and after he begun to think for himself, led to many verbal clashes between them, which deepened dramatically after his mutation. William Drake could not accept mutants and his bigotry was forced to confront the fact his own son wasn't normal.

"Oh that's great honey" his mother said, both enthusiastically and apprehensively. She no doubt remembered those fights as well. Bobby felt bad. She tried so hard to keep everyone happy, but her husband and son just could not get along.

"I have to Bobby, I'm sorry" she apologized. "I love you."Bobby smiled.

"I love you too. Bye."

The phone hung up and Bobby paused. The normal dial tone had cut off. He flicked a light switch. Nothing happened.

_Powers out. _From the inventive descriptions from Hank upstairs, he'd figured out the same.

He was about to go upstairs when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, he retraced his steps and opened it without looking through the peep hole and felt an odd surge of heat.

"G'day mate" Pyro grinned manically and a huge ball of fire hurled Bobby backward.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: my God this is the longest I've taken to update. In my defence, I was at my grandparents- who don't have internet (shudders). They don't even own a computer. Horror!

It was fortunate it had been Bobby who had answered the door. The moment the intense heat struck him, his body had instantly shifted into his ice form, protecting his body. Though he didn't feel very fortunate as he sailed through the air only to crash straight into the wall opposite and go through that as well. Dazed, he lay underneath rubble raining down on him. Then awareness kicked in and he leapt up, shaking the dizziness away.

He spotted Pryo just as he wound up to launch another fire ball at him. Senses kicking in, he leapt to the side just as he saw a flash of blue. His legs gave out.

"Payback's a bitch, mate" Pyro cackled gleefully as Wanda held her hand outstretched to Bobby. He generated another fireball...

...And collapsed unconscious. Startled, Wanda whirled; too late to block the upper cut that sent her sprawling in a heap on the floor.

"You should know" Laura snarled at the unconscious pair. She, Logan and Hank had arrived; the focused calamity attracting them.

"Great timing" Bobby said as Laura helped him to his feet.

"Great timing indeed" Hank said, ducking into a battle crouch, making the others spin.

Into the foyer came the Blob, Toad, Mystique, Gambit and Quicksilver.

Without permeable, they struck.

Bobby found himself the target of the Toad's tongue and missed it by inches, only to have it veer off and follow him. Annoyed, he grabbed the moisture in and on the disgusting thing, stopping it dead. With a grin, he sent it flying and managed to trip not only Quicksilver, but the Blob too, sending them and Toad in a tangled heap.

That left Gambit and Mystique, who were so far managing to keep his friends at bay with Gambits charged cards. With a roar of disapproval Laura leapt-and froze in midair. Logan grunted as he too, was airborne.

Magneto drifted in and with a flick of his wrist sent the two flying into Bobby and Hank, pinning them all to the wall.

A peal of thunder rang and lightning speared from the sky.

"Get out of our home!" Storm shouted flying into the mayhem, Jean right behind her. With her mind, Jean sent Gambit flying into Mystique as Storm hurled a bolt of white lightning at Magneto, who caught it in the chest and fell, releasing the others off the wall.

Breathing hard, the X-Men regrouped together.

"What the hell was that about?" Logan growled sniffing the air.

A low chuckle answered. Bobby's neck pricked. It hadn't come from any of the Brotherhood. It had resounded in his head.

_It was a trap of course. And you all fell for it._

"What the...?" Logan spun in a circle.

"Oh my stars..." Hank murmured, eyes wide.

Jean's face was pale.

Shearing pain exploded in Bobby's skull. He yelled and grabbed at it, barely aware of the others doing the same. He reached out blindly and grabbed something soft. And then the world disappeared.

A/N: Kinda short, I think, but it's ok. I'm pretty sure how it's going to work out now, it'll be finished soon.


	18. Chapter 18

Someone was shaking him, saying his name. Bobby stirred, reluctant to wake. His body was tired and he wanted nothing more than to lie on...

On...

The floor?

His eyes snapped open. Jean's face was hovering above his, her eyes and face tight with worry.

"Oh thank God" she said in relief, bending down and giving him a quick hug. "Are you ok, Bobby?"

"What happened?" he asked, sitting up. To his astonishment he was lying on the floor in the foyer with most of the Brotherhood and half his teammates, all out cold. Around them, the foyer looked as though it had suffered a hurricane.

"Oh right" he answered his own question.

"Bobby come on" Jean said urgently, tugging his arm hard. She looked afraid and worried.

"What's going on? The last thing I remember..." he trailed off. The memory of the voice and pain returned.

She nodded shakily."It was a psi blast, very strong. It knocked everyone out."

Bobby stood wincing. "Let's go and wake..."

"NO!" Jean grabbed his arm. "I only woke up because I have pretty strong psi shielding. It wasn't enough to protect me completely, but it spared me the worst. You grabbed me just before we passed out, my power managed to help you too. It will take too long to wake the others."

"What do you mean too long? We can't just..."

"They took the Professor."

Bobby stopped and stared at Jean. "What?"

She nodded, her eyes glistening. "Just before I passed out, I felt a presence and the Professor and now... they're gone. They're nowhere in the area either."

She was struggling not to cry. The Professor was a father figure to her; he and her had exchanged so many thoughts and mind linked so often, they were very close. Bobby had seen her when Xavier had been kidnapped by Apocalypse, she had been devastated.

Bobby was not exactly unaffected either. Xavier had helped him, brought him home...

Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts, he looked at her. "Do you think you could use Cerebro?"

She blinked and nodded. "I thought I'd wake you up first. If we're going to find the Professor, we need to work together."

"We?" Bobby said startled. "What about the others?"

"These guys will be out for a while. And the others are on a trip, remember? To the mountains?"

"Oh crap" he groaned. Of course, the others had mentioned it, they had managed to get places to go, not easily, but Kelly had eventually allowed it.

"Scott's all the way across down, he'll take too long, the only others are Jamie, Betsy, Lorna and Doug" naming the newer students. "And they're all in middle school; it's too far as well."

"We can't go alone Jeanie" he was sure of this. "We have to"

"No" she stepped forward, her eyes bright. "If we wait for the others, it might be too late. We have to save the Professor Bobby."

He sighed. Damn she was right.

"I'll go and fire up Cerebro" she said, sensing his decision. "You close the doors and put the others in more comfortable positions and move the others out of the way of the door."

"'Kay" they split up, Jean heading upstairs, Bobby shifting into his ice form and moving the others by their water mass into different positions. He put Ororo on the couch and Hank on an armchair. Laura he put on another armchair and Logan he moved onto the sitting room floor. Both he and Laura were very heavy with they're adamantium skeletons so he moved them as little as possible. The Brotherhood he left in a pile by the door.

He was about to go upstairs, before sense kicked in and he grabbed a stray marker and went to a bare stretch of wall. Hoping it wasn't waterproof, he wrote in large letters:

_AMBUSH. SOMETHING KNOCKED US OUT AND KIPNAPPED THE PROFESSOR. JEAN AND I GONE OUT TO FIND HIM. NO TIME TO CALL OTHERS. ICEMAN._

He nodded. At least they would know what happened.

Running up the stairs, he sprinted to Cerebro.

Entering he stopped. Jean's back was to him, Cerebro resting on her head. She was shaking.

Cautiously, he approached. She didn't react to his presence and hesitantly, he reached out and touched her arm. "Jean...?"

She whirled to face him and Bobby stepped back involuntarily. Her eyes were flashing red, so unlike her normal bright green and her face was almost unrecognisable, blank and emotionless.

She stared at him for a second and her eyes faded to green again. "Bobby" she said as if to remind herself. Her eyes widened. "I know where the Professor is."

Pushing what had just transpired out of his mind, he stepped back. "Let's go."

They ran to the jet hanger. The door opened and they stopped dead.

The hanger was in ruins. Metal and stone covered the ground having fallen loose from the ceiling. The jets and the hanger door were immersed in debris. Just visible lay a body wearing an oddly shaped helmet.

"Guess we know where Alvers was" Bobby said, breaking the stunned and despairing moment.

There was a noise behind him and he turned to see Jean sliding down the wall, her face filled with despair. "Now what?" she whispered, apparently to herself. "The Professor's to far away for us to reach him with just our powers."

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Scotland" she whispered. "Familiar but not..."

Giving up, he turned and faced the destruction of the hanger, his mind racing. The jets were out. They couldn't contact those like S.H.I.E.L.D who had flying transport. The others were too far away to help and not even Nightcrawler could make a trip to Scotland with his powers.

Wait. His eyes widened. There was a way! But how to use it...

Jean looked up, shaken from her funk. "What?" she asked, sensing his excitement and reserve.

"There might be a way to get there Jeannie" he said using his old nickname for her. She stared at him for a second. Then a smile lit up her face and she took his offered hand. They ran.

Going to the nearest bedroom, he pulled open the window, struck for a second at how bright and beautiful the day was. It was only around two o'clock.

Grabbing Jean's hand, he launched onto an ice slide. Jean held on as they soared into the air; it had been over a year since she'd been on one of his slides, but she remembered the reflexes.

He landed next to the river and reflexively destroyed the slide.

Jean looked at him and then around them. "What are we doing here?"

He hesitated, unsure of how to say it. She understood and she reached up to touch his temple. He felt her gentle presence in his mind as he watched her face change from confused to surprise and then hopeful.

"That's perfect" she breathed eyes shining.

"The only thing is...I don't know how to use it" he confessed. "I only used it once and didn't even mean to. I don't even know how I wound up in the North Pole."

She shook her head. "I can feel the trigger Bobby. It's there; I can show you. But you're going to have to do the rest."

He nodded. Her presence came to him again and he could feel her tracing her way through his mind. She pushed at something and Bobby started. He could now feel something; a strange pressure point, unnoticed before, but now a niggling area that he couldn't ignore. He frowned and smiled at Jean. She smiled back and they clasped hands again.

He closed his eyes in concentration. The Professor. Jean quietly pushed the coordinates into his mind. They and an image of a serene Professor behind his desk, danced in his mind.

His body began to tug. Instinctively, he gripped Jean's hand harder as the sensation grew stronger. He breathed in...

And felt it. It was as if his body had become liquid and fluid, joining the swift moving river water. He could tell instinctively the molecules that made up him and those that made up Jean. He had no idea how she felt about this; the link to her had disappeared under this new experience.

Right. Focus. He concentrated on where he wanted to go as hard as he could; his mind pushing outward. Now that he was actually controlling this, he could feel the different ebbs and flows of the water molecules; know instinctively where they were going. He felt an odd tingle and just knew which way led to the North Pole. He felt a little wistful, but it was shadowed by the determination to save the Professor.

Abruptly, he felt his molecules shiver and knew he was close. His body's water particles joined together swiftly, somehow distinguishing between his, Jean's and the river's itself. It was amazing and oddly beautiful and he wished he didn't have to experience this because of a threat.

He opened his eyes, a little surprised to find he had them. He was lying on a sandy and shingle ridden beach. Water lapped peacefully at his trainers, the sea calm and quiet.

A moan by his side made him turn over. Jean was curled in a ball, trembling.

"Jeannie? You okay?"

Blinking hard, she opened her eyes and looked first at him and then around them. She cracked a grin and struggled up.

"Well I've been better." She stretched and winced. "As amazing and intense as that experience was; I think I prefer my own methods of transportation. Or the jet. But that doesn't matter." She stood and stared around. "You did it Bobby. You got us here."

"Why is it dark?" he asked looking up. He could see distant stars peeking up in the sky.

"It's Scotland; it's five hours ahead of us" she answered, swinging in a slow circle around. "There!" she pointed. Bobby looked around and saw a fairly big hill on top of which, a large ruined castle was situated.

Jean stared at the castle. There was a strange expression on her face. "Come on."

"How are we going to get up there?" he asked, glancing at her.

She didn't respond. What she did do was lift them both in the air and they flew swiftly towards the castle. Bobby squirmed, uncomfortable. Flying with nothing noticeable holding him off the ground, made him nervous.

Rapidly approaching the castle, Bobby activated his thermal vision. Instantly the air and stone were in the hues of the rainbow. His eyes picked up on a bright red motionless object in the depths of the castles abandoned courtyard.

He filled in Jean and she directed their path and landed solidly on the ground. Eyes picking up the signature easily, he led the way.

The Professor lay sprawled on the ground; his wheelchair was missing. Jean's breath quickened and the pair picked up speed.

A low chuckle filled the courtyard and a sudden blaze leapt up, encircling the Professor and cutting the pair off. Bobby spun alarmed. Pyro had been in the mansion when they left, how?

"Well what do we have here?" the voice said mockingly. The voice had an accent, but it wasn't as harsh as Pryo's brash Australian. "Two little school children, running in as bold as brass to save their teacher. We can't have that now, can we?"

A figure stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, broad shouldered and blonde, oddly reminding Bobby of Thor. His face however, was very different. Hard and glinting eyes, his mouth a sneering leer; the man, not much older than himself looked...mad.

Jean breathed in, her eyes wide.

"Here I am, congratulating meself on me performance; outwitting the X-Men and Brotherhood alike, stolen from the American government and waiting for me blasted captive to wake up, when I pick up something. Something pretty familiar." He grinned at Jean. "And how've ya been Red? Been a while I know."

Bobby, keeping his eyes on the threat, muttered to Jean "You know this guy?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her minute nod. "David" she whispered.

"Come on now, Red, you were there" he said mock reprovingly. He turned to Bobby. "Now we haven't been introduced, have we? Allow me to do so." He stretched his arms wide.

"I am Lucas" he announced. He grinned and then added "son of Charles Xavier."

A/N: huh, wow this chapter is much longer than my last one, so that's ok. Apparently in Evolution, Xavier's nutter of a kid was called Lucas instead of Legion, I don't know why but there you go. Nearly done now!


	19. Chapter 19

Bobby's mind went blank. Xavier had a _kid?_

Jean was still staring at Lucas, her eyes large.

"You know about this?" he murmured.

She jerked her head in a nod and images flashed in Bobby's mind; another castle, a battle, a teenage boy that would shift into another, and Lucas, winning, breaking free of his multiple personalities and disappearing.

Lucas chuckled. "Aww what's the matter, Red? You didn't think I wouldn't turn up again? My father is powerful; I can't deny that. But he would interfere with my business, especially since he accidently got rid of David's persona." He chuckled.

Bobby tried to get things on track. "The Brotherhood? The Juggernaut? What were they for?"

"Distractions" Lucas shrugged. "The information in the Rockies could prove useful to me, though it mostly served as a side show. I've been controlling the minds of the Brotherhood; making them serve me. The Juggernaut is, of course, me uncle and I both sympathise and despise him. He was a useful decoy, but in the end it will be me that ends me father's life and possibly his as well." He smiled a chilly smile. "Though it appears I underestimated you pair. It should've occurred to me that me fellow Omega level mutants may have circumvented me powers. I should've known better after last time, eh Red?" he grinned at Jean.

Bobby neither knew nor cared what Omega mutants were; he was more concerned at stopping this disturbing individual. He was relieved when Jean snapped out of her shock and stepped forward.

"We won't let you hurt the Professor" she said, her voice flat and uncompromising. Bobby fervently hoped she had a plan, because Lucas didn't look at all intimidated by the two.

Lucas threw his head back and laughed.

"Oh you're going to stop me, are ya?" he replied, his eyes flashing with amusement.

"Yes" Jean said simply, rising a few feet into the air. Bobby, taking his cue, shifted into his ice form. He was tense. This guy had at least telepathy and pyrokinesis. He had no idea if he had any other tricks.

Jean's mind brushed his. _He has the powers of telepathy, telekinesis and pryokinesis as far as I'm aware. If you can take his fire power away, I believe I can fight his mental attacks._

_S'okay by me. Good luck._

Their exchange was swift but Bobby could feel Jean still in his head, quiet but there.

Lucas chuckled and extended his arms wide, as though encompassing the world. "Well then" he said "why not?"

And the world erupted in flames. They exploded everywhere; licking fallen columns and catching grass alight, rising impossibly high.

Jean launched herself at Lucas. The two were hovering above the flames, arms extended. Bobby could feel a pressure in his brain; the only thing he could perceive of the psi battle raging above.

The flames were moving with a will of their own, snaking and twining around him. Worry for the Professor made him run over to him, only to have a wall of flame stop him. The heat started to melt his icy body. He delved into his power, and it spilled over and doused the flames long enough for him to reach Xavier. He wasn't moving or reacting at all, but Bobby was relieved to see he was breathing.

A sudden surge of heat made him whip round. The flames that had momentarily died down had surged up again. Not only that, but Lucas was still clearly raging war against Jean in the sky.

_Cripes, how strong _is_ this guy?! _

Spreading his legs, he pushed out. Cold emanated from him and rippled against the heat. He smiled grimly. After all his powers just manipulated heat, right?

A broken column suddenly lifted into the air and hurled itself at him. Startled, he leapt to the side as another came at him. He dodged, annoyed. This guy was fighting both him and Jean at once and was holding them off?

He threw an ice beam at Lucas, whilst dodging flying stone. It didn't even get near; a burst of flame engulfed it.

Jean let out a startled cry and was suddenly flying backwards straight towards him. Having no time to dodge, he shifted his front into his human form so Jean wouldn't get hurt from barrelling into him and kept his back iced up. Even so, it hurt.

Gasping, Jean and Bobby untangled themselves just as Lucas drifted downward. He stood, tall impossibly imposing, supremely confident in his abilities.

The Professor was down. Bobby and Jean stood alone against his demented son, who appeared to have a lot more power than either than them.

_Any ideas, Jeannie__? _

She replied grimly. _I don't know. I fought him once before; he's very strong and he knows it._

"Ah, the poor helpless X-Men" he sneered. "And you two are the most powerful of all your team? I pity my father even as I despise him, if this is what his rescue is."

Over the connection in their minds, Bobby could sense Jean's temper flaring white hot. She had an idea; he could sense it, but he had no idea what it was, she was shielding it.

_Do you trust me Bobby?_

He slanted his eyes at her; careful to keep his face neutral. He had no idea if Lucas was listening to them but he answered. _Of course I trust you._

_Then I need you to trust me, more than ever before._

He felt her mind enter his, more deeply than ever before. Her mind was overlapping his, her thoughts and his merging. He recoiled, alarmed and felt her voice echo deeply in his head.

_Trust me. _

And then, he and she were one. Their eyes saw the same; their thoughts ran together, their feelings and emotions swamping into the other. Bobby could feel her worry for the Professor, anger at Lucas, fear at never seeing Scott again and a deep sense of conviction. It was depthless and it was crying out; rebelling against the thought of dying here, by the hands of a madman. It refused the idea of perishing with the Professor and himself beside her, never seeing her friends again. The thoughts were giving her strength and her power was rising rapidly.

Bobby felt this for a single instant and drew comfort from it. The fact that they stood together, now one instead of two, gave them much needed encouragement.

_Let's do this._

_I'm with you Jeannie._

And individual thought extinguished.

"And how are we faring?" Lucas said with mocking concern.

"Worry about you're own health Lucas" the response echoed in perfect harmony from two mouths.

Lucas looked between the two of them, expression faltering.

"We will fight you with everything we have" the pair intoned. The belt around Bobby's waist fell away and the pair rose into the air, which chilled rapidly.

Lucas bared his teeth and with a snarl, launched into the air to meet them, fire exploding in the air around him. And with an enormous bang, fire met ice.

A rushing, roaring noise filled the air and a massive shockwave rebounded away from the centre of the battle. There was no fighting in the traditional sense, with the body. This was a battle of the mind.

Lucas's mind raged the pairs telepathically. In addition, pyrokinesis met cryokinesis on the sub atomic level. On both levels, a fierce fight ensued. If anyone would witness the fight, they would see three figures suspended in the sky; the air around them rippling and distorting, the effects of the battle of fire and ice taken to a whole new level. The telepathic fight could not be witnessed by normal means, but it was no less savage for that.

The powers of both sides were put to the ultimate test, pushing beyond boundaries only just realised. Neither side was aware of anything other than the enemy; the real world shadowy and distant. They were only concerned with the power struggle.

Gradually, Bobby began to come back to himself; his sanity and awareness returning. His connection to Jean waned and his vision swam.

His body connected to the ground and he slumped against it; relishing the comforting solidity of it. His mind was empty; drained of the war that had raged within it from what felt like moments ago, drained from the loss of Jean in his consciousness.

With what felt like a great effort, he lifted his head off the ground. He could just make out the form of Lucas stretched out on the ground motionless in front of him. He turned his head very slightly to the side and saw Jean lying beside him, apparently unconscious.

The little bit of energy he'd summoned drained away and he slumped down; his cheek resting on cool stone. He could hear a rushing noise in his ears and felt wind whip his hair.

And then he felt nothing at all.

A/N: hmmm, what do you think? I was trying to come up with a decent scene and this was what I came up with. Any ideas? Almost finished now! My thanks to Abbs of the Faeries and her much appreciated reviews!


	20. Chapter 20

Voices. That's what Bobby was first aware of. They were indistinct, but insistent. He wanted to wake up properly and tell them to be quiet, but his limbs felt like they weighed one hundred tonnes and they wouldn't move. He lay, immersed in blackness that was very pleasant, before drifting off again.

When he became aware again, he felt a little stronger and more alert. The voices were still there and he could occasionally catch what they were saying.

".... still steady...."

"....repairs going to take time...."

"....what were they thinking? If they...."

"He's waking up!"

Bobby cracked his eyes open and winced as harsh white light struck them. It had taken time to force his still very heavy eyelids to open and once they had, he wondered why he bothered.

The painful light faded and he blinked a couple of times before everything came into focus. He was lying in the infirmary of the Institute. Above him were the familiar figures of Hank, the Professor and Logan.

"Welcome back Bobby" Hank said.

Bobby stared at them incomprehensively for a second. Then memory kicked in and brought adrenaline with it. He bolted upright.

"What happened? Where's Jean? Where's Lucas? What...?"

"Bobby calm down" Hank exclaimed; he and Logan grabbing his shoulders to stop him getting out of bed. "Jean's fine, Lucas is gone and the Professor is safe, relax."

The energy leaving him as quickly as it had come; he slumped in their arms. Logan placed him back on the pillows while Hank raised the bed so he was resting upright. Now able to see around him, he saw Jean across the room, fast asleep in another bed.

"Yes Bobby it wouldn't do for you to be unconscious again for a month" the Professor spoke up. Bobby looked at him; he was in much better shape than he had last seen him, awake and alert.

"What happened?" he asked Xavier.

"You and Jean went off and nearly got yourselves killed that's what" Logan growled. "Here we were, waking up and seeing your note and the Brotherhood plied up beside the door, most of the other kids coming home and none of us having a clue where you were."

"We checked the last logs of Cerebro and found where you had gone" Hank chipped in, while he checked the monitors. "And once we determined your location and the damage to the hanger, Logan called S.H.I.E.L.D. and they were kind enough to lend us several very fast jets and we got there just in time to witness the final moments of your battle with Lucas."

"Indeed" the Professor sighed. "I myself woke up around this time and in my semi conscious state, wondered if the world was coming to an end. Truly, I have never felt such a power struggle on the mental scale, the closest being the battle with Apocalypse. You were the worse off; your powers are not of the mental abilities that Jean and" he hesitated "Lucas possess. Therefore, your mind was severely strained as well as your powers, which had fought a fierce fight as well."

"Jean woke up earlier than you and was able to fill us in on specific details. The rest Charles managed to read from your unconscious minds." Hank finished looking at the readouts and came over again. "The strain you and Jean had endured put you both in comas for the better part of a week. The rest of the school has been extremely worried about you both."

"Sorry" Bobby answered, feeling small. Xavier shook his head.

"I understand why you did it Bobby. You both did what you felt at the time was right. Had you not, I am sure I would not be here at now to discuss it with you. And it appears I owe you both for what lengths you both went to save me."

Bobby looked at the Professor. "What happened to Lucas?"

The Professor sighed deeply. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken him into custody. He will now, like his uncle, be put into stasis. It is perhaps, for the best."

"You can't blame yourself Charles" Hank said sharply. "The boy made his own choices and now must answer for them."

"Hank's right Chuck" Logan agreed. "You don't know that if you were in his life he would have turned out different. You'll go mad wondering 'bout 'what ifs'."

Xavier smiled faintly and Bobby was saddened to see the deep regret and sadness in his eyes. Not wanting to say it out loud in front of the others; he spoke in his head. _You've got a lot of other kids. And you've changed their lives for the better. Don't forget that Professor._

The Professor smiled more genuinely and patted Bobby's arm. _Thank you Bobby. _Then aloud he said "I think that's enough for now Logan. We should go and leave Bobby and Jean in Hank's excellent care. I hope to see you up again soon Bobby."

Logan looked at Bobby. "Up and at 'em kid. The rest of your pals are driving me stir crazy with all their antics."

Bobby laughed. Logan and the Professor left and Hank walked back to his office.

Bobby was just about to doze off again when a familiar presence brushed his mind.

_That was sweet of you._

Bobby smiled and lifted his head slightly to look at Jean. She was in the same position as before, but there was a small grin on her face.

_How long have you been awake? _He asked in his head; pleased to talk to her again.

_About as long as you woke up. I wanted to know when you woke up; it's been a couple of days and I was worried. I didn't want to attract attention though; I took the responsibility for taking off like we did and the staff aren't too pleased._

_You shouldn't have taken all the blame. _He protested_. I...._

_Followed my lead. You wanted to call the others but I was one who insisted on going immediately. They understand-except for Scott-but I don't want to go through the lecture about my responsibilities again._

_Oh alright then. And thank you for checking up on me. _

_It was my pleasure. I was worried; you took a lot of what Lucas threw at us. For a couple of days Hank couldn't even put on your belt, your powers were so weak. And I wanted to thank you. _

_For what?_

_For trusting me. I really appreciate what you let me do._

_It's ok. It was cool having you in my head like that. I didn't know you could do that._

_I didn't either. But I'm glad you said what you did to the Professor. I feel bad for him._

_Me too. Think he'll be ok?_

_I'm sure of it. After all, his other kids will take care of him, right?_

Just then, the infirmary doors opened and Scott came in. He paused as he saw Bobby awake.

"Hi Bobby" he said awkwardly.

"Hi Scott" he replied.

He felt Jean touch his mind again. _When I woke up, he was raving about your recklessness and dare devil streak that had nearly got us and the Professor killed. When I told him it was me that had been the one that organised it, I thought he lost his ability to speak, he was so stunned. He's on tenterhooks at the moment._

Bobby grinned at that and yawned, tiredness creeping up again. Sleepily he bade goodnight to both Jean and a relieved Scott and fell back asleep again.

********

A week later, Bobby was out of the infirmary and moving around again. Both he and Jean had made full recoveries and were now starting to get back into the swing of life at the Institute. They had both participated in a Danger Room session with the rest of the classes, though Scott was a little protective and wouldn't let them do much. Bobby was sure this was for Jean and he was also sure she would hurt him if he kept it up.

His relationship with Jean had changed over the last week. They were closer than before; both sharing thoughts and memories while confined to bed. It unnerved everyone except the Professor, to see them awake and looking at each other and then suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason. Poor Scott was at a loss with the two of them. He and Bobby were still the same, but Scott seemed to try and be a little nicer to him, something he suspected had been encouraged by Jean. But if he tried to make an effort, so did Bobby. Even if he occasionally played a small prank on him such as leaving frost on the floor when he visited Jean.

His powers seemed a little weaker than before, though Hank believed they were just recovering from the fierce strain they had been under. He had even managed to take off the belt for short periods of time, though sudden surprises meant they still were unruly. But Hank believed it wouldn't take too long before Bobby would be able to take the belt off permanently, much to Bobby's relief.

The Brotherhood had disappeared again while the X-Men had been occupied. They had been cleared of involvement but they were keeping a low profile for the moment. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. reported that the Juggernaut had been recaptured and put back in stasis.

After the session, Bobby showered and changed and headed downstairs. It was one of the very rare days when he and his friends were free at the same time.

"What'cha guys wanna do?" Sam yawned and stretched.

"Transformer's is out in the cinema at the moment" Roberto suggested.

"Cool let's go" Ray said.

"Can I come?" Jamie asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure" Sam glanced at Bobby. "Wanna come Bobby?"

"Sure that'd be great" he agreed. He was itching to get out of the mansion. "Let's go."

They were walking out when they passed some of the girls, Kitty, Amara, Tabitha, Jubilee and Laura. They appeared to be persuading Laura to come with them for a day out in the mall, something if the expression on Laura's face was anything to go by, was not a welcome idea.

"Hey guys, hang on a sec" he jogged over to the girls. "Hey guys" he greeted the others before turning to Laura.

"Hey Laura the guys and I are going to the movies. Do you want to come?"

She looked at him in surprise while the girls whispered. Tabitha said loudly "Hey where's our invitations, Bobster?"

"They got lost among the plans of you guys going to the mall. Laura?"

"Let's go" she said instantly amid the female protests. She and Bobby immediately walked away.

"I thought you wouldn't like to go out shopping" he said. She had once admitted she hid out in the Danger Room so often was occasionally to avoid the girls and their obsession over shoe sales.

"Yes" she replied. "What are we going to see?"

"A movie about giant robots. Lot's of action and guns. I think it'd be a change to actually watch it on a big screen then be in the action."

She nodded thoughtfully. "It sounds good."

He laughed and she smiled and they went over and joined the rest of the guys, like ordinary teenagers.

A/N: and I think that's it! My thanks to Abbs of the Faeries for the continued and very appreciated reviews. I hope you and anyone else who read the story found it enjoyable. I personally had a lot of fun writing it; it's my first ever fic, and I hope to write more. Bye for now!


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